Revelation of Lies
by Salark
Summary: Link and Sheik are in love but Link feels something is off after Zelda reveals herself in the Temple of Time…he feels even more lost when a boy with blond hair and red eyes appears in the market square one day with no memories of who he was. Link x Sheik
1. Chapter 1

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Saturday until completed.

AN: I took some liberties and played around with the landscaping of Hyrule by merging the OoT and TP layouts of Hyrule together. Also, I choose to have Sheik be a separate character from Zelda and for him to be male. I respect that everyone has their own opinion on Sheik's gender and thus I am entitled to mine. Please don't leave any comments telling me Sheik is a girl because in my story he isn't. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

**~*~*~ Chapter One ~*~*~**

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><p>Lightning forks across the late night sky, lighting up the silhouette of mountains in the distance, far across the fields of Hyrule. He stands at the mouth of the cave, watching. A horse snorts uneasily beside him and he pats her grey neck murmuring, "Easy Cali," into the darkness of the night. Thunder follows the lightning, roaring over the sound of the wind and the pounding of the rain. The wind whips through the trees, harassing the boughs and bending the branches in its fury. He's glad they're not stuck outside, even if the cave is a little dank, it's shelter. The fire burning behind him helps veto the chill and dry the air.<p>

A horse nudges him and he pets Epona's neck. She sighs and he leans against her side as he continues watching. His eyes are scanning the darkness, looking for a lurking foe but he sees none, yet he still feels uneasy.

A fluttering ball of blue leaves the edge of the fire and lands on his shoulder. He glances at the fairy for a moment before shifting his gaze outside, watching as the lighting lit up the fields again. He sees nothing out of the ordinary during the brief flash of light.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Navi asks, her voice right beside his ear from her spot on his shoulder.

"The thunder woke me," he says.

"And why didn't you go back to bed?" she prods and he sighs.

"I felt…uneasy," he admits, and she flutters her wings.

"You worry too much Sheik," Navi says, patronizingly.

He glances back to where Link is sleeping like one of the dead. "Maybe he doesn't worry enough," he says, "and I worry enough for the both of us."

"He worries for you," she answers and he rolls his eyes.

"I can manage myself, but he doesn't worry enough for himself," Sheik replies and she snorts. He wasn't aware such a sarcastic sound could come from a fairy.

"And he probably thinks the same of you. Self sacrificing blockheads, the pair of you…" She trails off as she flutters over to Epona's back and settles at the base of her mane.

"Blockheads?" he repeats, a slight smile on his face.

"Go to sleep, Sheik. I will keep watch so you can rest easy," the fairy says and he listens and heads back to his bed roll by the fire.

He slips in quietly, but Link wakes anyways. He throws an arm around Sheik's middle and pulls him close. He presses his face into Sheik's neck and sighs.

"Where'd you go?" he asks, kissing Sheik's neck after he's done speaking.

Sheik feels himself relax in Link's embrace. "Nowhere, Hero," he says as he presses his back against Link's chest. "The thunder woke me."

"Thunder?" he asks, and yawns.

"You're exhausted," Sheik says and kisses him softly. They both are. The Shadow Temple had been rough on the both of them. They did not rest easy in the tomb of Sheik's ancestors when the spirits there were plagued by evil. It had even made Sheik uneasy.

"So are you," Link says and pulls him in tighter. "Sleep," he commands softly. "We'll speak in the morning."

Wrapped in Link's arms he feels safe and he lets himself be lulled to sleep by the sound of the other man's deep, even breathing.

* * *

><p>The morning brings fog and wet gloom and Sheik finds it fitting as he saddles Calibri. Link is not awake yet and he doesn't have the heart to wake him. He looks troubled in his sleep and the exhaustion is evident on his face. Instead, Sheik saddles the horses, packs and stocks up Link's supplies and sets about making something to eat.<p>

He makes stew, not traditionally a breakfast food but the rabbit that they had snared last night needed to be used up or it would go bad. Sheik had various other supplies on hand to help make it, and the meal would be filling. Link would need something to sustain him in the Spirit Temple.

When Link wakes emerges from the cave and he wraps his arms around Sheik and holds him close.

"Be safe," he murmurs into Sheik's ear, and then kisses him. When they part Sheik is flushed and out of breath.

"You stay safe too," Sheik says as he frowns at him. "I will be fine."

"The Temple of Time is right under Ganandorf's nose," Link says frowning. "Can't you just wait for me to return? We can go together."

"Hero," Sheik says, frowning, "I need to gather the supplies for the ritual, and wait for Zelda. There is much yet that must be done before the final battle. We _can't_ wait."

Link sighs and squeezes Sheik tightly against him again. "Just…be careful, please?"

"Will you promise me the same?" Sheik asks, gazing into Link's blue eyes.

Link nods. "I love you," he murmurs into Sheik hair.

"And I love you," Sheik steps back, breaking the embrace. "Let's eat."

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><p>Sheik leads Calibri across the broken draw bridge and slips down an alley way behind the deserted guard's station. He makes his way through the back alley maze until he reaches the field behind the Temple of Time. He leaves Calibri there and scales the fence surrounding the Temple and enters without alerting any of Ganandorf's spies.<p>

Once inside he glances around. He hasn't been to the temple in months but it was holding up well compared to the rest of the town. He lights the candles and starts to prepare the rituals Zelda needed to cast the spells required to help Link beat was on her way. He had spoken to her through a Gossip Stone before entering the city. He chanted under his breath as he worked, preparing the ingredients for Zelda. They would provide the Hero of Time with protection and ultimately, the Light arrows he needed to defeat Ganandorf.

He finished casting the minor spells and preparing the rituals when he hears a sound. He looks up, hand slipping to the dagger at his hip when Zelda enters, looking cautious. One of her guards is slightly ahead of her, and when she catches sight of him she grins and runs to him. He's startled when she wraps her arms around him and hugs him, but he hugs her back. Zelda has always been more of a sister to him than a master. She can tell he's not an imposter by the shadow bond they share. Sheik, as part of the Sheikah, were sworn disciples ofthe Royal Family of Hyrule, and when Sheik had come of age he had been bonded to Zelda to act as her protector and her servant.

"Sheik," she whispers. "You look well."

"As do you, princess," he replies, dipping his head to her respectfully. Her guards stationed themselves at the exits of the temple.

"None of that," she says, and glances around the temple. "Have you finished?"

"Yes," he responds. "It's ready for you."

"Good, thank-you Sheik," she kisses his cheek and he drops his gaze to the floor before meeting her eyes again. "The realm has you to thank for your loyalty."

"Princess," he says, looking abashed.

"None of that I said!" she says playfully, "Zelda, say it with me."

He rolls his eyes. "_Zelda_," he answers and she pets his head.

"Good boy," she says, treating him like the pet he truly is, even if Zelda does not normally treat him so. "Come sit with me," she says as she sits on the red-velvet carpet of the steps. "I would like to see what has transpired while I was hidden."

He sits obediently, not that he has the choice with the bond. Zelda rarely commands him to do something, but she doesn't realize that he has no choice in the matter when she asks or requests something from him.

She brings her fine, pale hand to his exposed cheek and rests it there as Sheik feels her magic sink into his pores and light fire to his nerves. He sits quietly as Zelda flicks through various memories until she comes across one he would have rather kept buried but he has no control over what she chooses to see.

"_Hero?" Sheik asks, and Link grabs his hand and pulls him close._

"_You'll come with me, right?" he asks, staring at Sheik intently. "To the Shadow Temple?"_

"_If that is what you wish," Sheik replies._

_Link dips his head and kisses the Sheikah, holding him close. Sheik relaxes into the kiss, gaining confidence with the more kisses he receives. They part and Link presses a kiss to the tip of his nose gently._

"_Not what I wish, but what you wish," Link says._

_Sheik nods. "I will come with you."_

"_Thank-you," Link says. "I cannot bear when I do not know where you are."_

"_I can fend for myself, Hero," Sheik says, somewhat crossly. _

"_I know that," he says. "But do you not feel more reassured knowing where I am? That I am well?" he asks and Sheik softens his expression._

"_I do," he admits and Link grins._

"_I love you," he says more serious and Sheik smiles shyly at him, not used to the affection._

"_I love you too," he replies. _

Zelda breaks off the magic suddenly and Sheik feels the sting of it leaving his body and he slumps and takes a deep breath to recover from it. She's staring at him and he can't decipher her expression.

"You…and Link?" she asks, and the fury in her voice is evident despite her attempt to hide it.

"I'm sorry," he answers immediately. "I didn't mean for this to happen but…he makes me so happy and I-"

"I don't care!" she cuts him of as she stands. He tries to rise to but her magic holds him in place. "Link was supposed to marry _me_!" she cries out angrily. The guards shift uneasily but otherwise don't move. "The princess, not the…not the slave!"

He feels agony rip through him sharply. Zelda has never treated him as such before, but he hasn't seen her in seven years, they communicated only through the gossip stones. Anything else was too much of a risk. That is enough time to alter somebody drastically, so he learns.

"I'm sorry," she says softly and the pain lessens but he is still rooted to the spot. "I'm so sorry Sheik but Link can't love you."

He tries to speak but can't manage words. He watches as Zelda walks towards him helplessly. She kneels in front of him and chants an incantation, and he shudders as her magic floods through him again. He cringes and closes his eyes against the invasiveness of the magic and when he opens them he stares back at the mirrored reflection of himself.

"No," he says, finding his voice. "Please, no, Zelda, no, _no_."

"Shhh," she murmurs softly, catching the tears he didn't know he shed with her thumbs…_his_ thumbs. "This is how it must be, it'll be better this way, and better for Link, he'll be happier…"

She takes his face in her hands and he wants to struggle but can't, not against her superior magic. Not against her controlling bond over his body. Pain floods through him, more intense than any injury he has every received. He cannot stop himself when he cries out. He drops to the ground and writhes and Zelda moves with him, not letting him go.

He fights against the fire in his veins as long as he can manage but it drags him under into the darkness. He's rendered unconscious by Zelda's magic and she hovers over his body for a few minutes, gazing sadly at him.

"I'm sorry," she repeats again, before standing. She calls to her guards to come to her side and they do. "Take him to the fortress outside of the Gerudo encampment. Don't be seen. I will come to him when I can. _Don't_ hurt him."

They protest when they realize she means to send them away but she shushes them instantly. "The Hero of Time will be here soon. He will protect me. Now, _go_ and have haste!"

They leave uneasily and she calls out to them one last time as they go, "And _do not_ hurt him! If he befalls any injury I will personally discipline the one who gives it to him!"

And with that she's alone to wait for the Hero of Time to arrive, her love.

TBC.

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

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><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Two ~*~*~<strong>

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><p>When Link reaches the steps the Temple of Time he slumps exhausted against the unforgiving stone. He closes his eyes briefly, before forcing himself to stand up. He's weary and injured, not gravely, but the minor cuts and scrapes add up, and all he wants to see is Sheik safe. And the princess too, of course.<p>

The thought of Ganandorf's spies seeing him spurs him to move his weary, resisting body. He rises and walks to the doors of the temple and pushes them open. They groan from disuse and he enters into the candle lit temple.

He sees Sheik sitting on the steps inside and with new found energy he crosses the stone underfoot to meet him. Sheik stands and Link sweeps him into his arms and pulls down his cowl to kiss him. Sheik seems startled but kisses back, more hesitant than usual.

When they part Sheik asks, "Are you hurt?"

"Not gravely," he responds. "Navi is just outside, keeping lookout."

He frowns. "Lookout for what?"

Link stares at him for a few seconds in silence. "Are you hurt?" he repeats.

"No," Sheik says. "I am unharmed."

Link feels uneasy as he watches Sheik. Sheik is the one who always volunteered to keep watch because of his dislike of not having someone's eyes scanning for danger at all times. It worries him know that the Sheikah seems so unconcerned about having someone keep watch, especially so close to Ganandorf's castle. He blames Sheik's bizarre behaviour on lack of sleep.

"Are you sure you are unharmed?" Link asks as he pulls Sheik close to his body and slumps into him slightly, his previous exhaustion returning. Sheik struggles to balance the new found weight against him and Link pulls back.

"I told you I am fine," he exclaims and Link nods, pinning Sheik's attitude down due to fear and stress and worry over the princess as well as weariness.

"When will Zelda arrive?" Link asks as he moves to sit of the steps with Sheik.

"I have much I need to tell you, Link," Sheik says as they sit.

"What, no Hero?" Link jokes, using Sheik's nickname for him. Sheik just blinks at him and he drops the subject. There's no time for jokes and games now.

"I've been waiting for you, Link," Sheik says.

"We agreed to meet here, it was your idea," Link says, watching Sheik closely.

Sheik rests his hands in his lap delicately and replies, "There is much you must know before you can fight the King of Evil."

"Then tell me," Link says and wraps his arm around Sheik, needing to feel the comfort of having the Sheikah close. "We have no secrets, right?"

"First I must tell you another unknown legend of the Triforce passed down by the shadow folk, the Sheikah, and then all will become clear."

Link nodded and listened intently, trying to find a reason for Sheik's odd behaviour. He had chalked it up to lack of sleep and exhaustion, but he and Sheik had been in each other's company many times when those circumstances were present and the Sheikah had never seemed so off.

"…and the other who holds the Triforce of Wisdom is destined to be the seventh Sage, leader of them all…"

Link was startled when Sheik stood suddenly and turned to face him. He raised his hands and moved them fluidly before a blinding light resonated from him and Link had to shield his eyes with his arms or else risk being blinded.

When the light faded he glanced back at Sheik, heart racing.

Zelda stood in front of him.

"It is I, Princess Zelda. I'm sorry for meeting you is disguise, Link, but it was necessary to hide from the Dark King. Please forgive me…"

12345678910

Link stumbled away from the wreckage, the master sword hanging limp in his grasp and dragging through the rumble as he walked. He was exhausted. He never knew exhaustion like this before, and every step he took was a struggle to stay upright.

"Link," Zelda cried, crashing into him and wrapping her arms around him.

He staggered back in pain. He was injured badly, bleeding steadily from various wounds he'd received from Ganon. He wrapped his arms around Zelda, losing his grip on the master sword. He barley heard it when it crashed against the rubble. Vacantly he stared over Zelda's shoulder and out across the ruined Castletown and the smell of burning wood reached his nose but he didn't know where it was coming from.

"You're hurt," Zelda murmured, cupping his face in her hands. They're eyes met and Link smiled to reassure her, resting his hands on her face. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips and he kissed her back.

It felt wrong to kiss her. He was used to hard muscle under his hands, dirty blond hair and ruby eyes staring back at him. Kissing Zelda was all soft and delicate, small, pale and fine. But this was who Sheik was truly…and it was Sheik's personality he loved, not just his body.

"We have to get you to a healer," Zelda said, leading him towards Epona. "To Kakariko, and they'll help you."

Link winced as his head began to spin. "I can't ride," he managed to say, closing his eyes wearily as he leaned against Epona's shoulder.

"You must!" she exclaimed.

"Can you not warp us to the graveyard?" Link said, opening his eyes.

"I cannot," she answered. "We must ride."

Blinking blearily at her Link lost the battle with consciousness and slumped to the ground, only faintly hearing Zelda screaming at him.

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When he wakes his eyes instantly search for Sheik to make sure he's alright. But the reality of the situation hits him hard when he sees Zelda sitting vigil by his bedside. Sheik is _gone_…but not gone. He's sitting there, where Zelda is…but not. Zelda is Sheik. There is something, a spark, that Sheik had that she doesn't…or maybe he's just being too hard on her, or the shock of them being one in the same is too much for him to comprehend right now.

He isn't sure which it is.

"Link," Zelda says, relieved when she sees him awake. She rests her hand against his cheek and he tries to smile at her but can't. "How're you feeling?"

"Bad," he croaks, and she smiles at him faintly.

"I'll get you more tonic," she hurries away, feet clinking loudly across the wooden floor. Sheik could move silently when he wanted to…he closes his eyes and breaths heavily. _Zelda_ could move silently, if she wanted to.

After she's returned and help him swallow some of the pain medication she sits beside him on the bed in a house that he can only speculate is located in Kakariko.

"I have to go away for a little while," Zelda said, frowning at him.

"Why?" he asks wearily.

"There are many repairs I must over look," she answered. "Of the city and of the castle. You've been out for a few days, but I have been negotiating. Every race has volunteered to help rebuild the city. It will take some work but with everyone's help we can have the city up in a few months time…"

"Months?" he asks, shocked they could rebuild so fast.

She nods. "I must go now," she says and kisses his forehead. "We will speak more when I return."

12345678910

When he wakes he's bound like an animal waiting for slaughter. His feet are securely tied together, as are his wrists. He's blind folded and gagged and the stone he is laying on digs painfully into his cheek. He tries to rise but when he attempts to roll to his knees a wave of queasiness washes over him. He struggles to breath around the gag as he attempts to roll to his knees again. This time he manages but he's not up long when someone takes hold of his shoulders and forces him back down. He struggles wildly but he's is defenceless.

"Here he is your highness, unharmed," A voice says to his left and he recognizes it as one of Zelda's guards, a man who's been serving the Royal Family for years. Very gently he's helped to his knees again and Zelda slips the blindfold off. She strokes his cheek and removes the gag as well.

"Get your hands _off_ of me," Sheik snarls at her, but he can't move against the bond Zelda has over him.

She pets his cheek again. "My sweet, loyal Sheik..." she says. "You know deep down it must be this way."

"You can't just leave me here to rot!" Sheik snaps, hating the control she has over him.

"I promise I won't leave you here, but you can't come back."

"After the war ends he'll come looking for me!" Sheik warns her and she laughs mockingly at him.

"The war has ended, and we won and I have to thank-you for that," she says. "But he won't come looking for you, no matter what you think."

She places her hand on his forehead and in his mind he can see Link in the Temple of Time, with him, but he knows it's really Zelda in disguise. He watches as she reveals himself to her and he his heart shatters.

"No, no, no, how could you?" He cries out, ruby eyes blazing with fury. "He loves _me,_ not you!"

"Really? He hasn't seemed to miss you much at all," she says with a smile.

Sheik just stares defiantly at her, his jaw set and his eyes cold as stone. His knees are beginning to ache from digging into the hard stone for so long but he doesn't have the power to move. Instead, he stays on his knees in front of Zelda as she towers over him.

"I have a plan though, Sheik," she says. "When I return with the necessary ingredients I will set you free."

"Free?" he echoes but she doesn't reply. Instead, the gag and blindfold are returned and he is left alone to his thoughts.

Every day he sits and waits for Zelda's return. He is allowed to relieve himself and eat and drink twice a day but other than that he left bound in what he realizes is the underground cellar in the desert, outside of the Gerudo Fortress. In the beginning he believed that Link would come and save him, but as every hour drags on he knows that Link isn't coming.

He's not sure how many days pass, but the guards are growing restless. He imagines it must be at least a week, maybe even a week and a half. She doesn't show up until the end of the second week. When she does she pulls the gag down off his face and presses a goblet of liquid to his lips. She tips it and the liquid sloshes against his lips but he doesn't open his mouth.

Annoyed, she commands, "Open your mouth," and he obeys as much as he wishes not to. The foul tasting liquid washes over his tongue and he almost gags. "Swallow," she says, and again he does.

Almost instantly he starts to feel foggy. His body breaks into a cold sweat and he shakes violently. He crumples forward but her hands catch him before he can hit the ground. Her magic seeps into him and his nerves light on fire as she sifts through his memories disdainfully.

Another spasm of pain rips through Sheik's body and he cries out in pain, no longer able to control himself. He can hear Zelda humming to him, her lullaby, gentle and sweet in his ear.

The pain takes over and he can't handle it anymore. His body gives in and he blacks out.


	3. Chapter 3

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

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><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Three ~*~*~<strong>

The first thing he can feel when he wakes up is pain. Every heart beat sends a sharp pang though his head. He cracks his eyes open and blinks blearily, blinded by the sun. He rolls onto his side and he exhales sharply when pain tingles through every nerve in his body. His lips crack painfully from the heat.

Another spasm of pain racks through his body and he digs his fingers into the sand underneath his palms and he curls into himself when the pain becomes too intense. Wave after wave of pain hit him and his head feels like it's going to explode. He collapses into the sand and doesn't stir. He's parched. He tongue is dry and there's a filmy feeling over his teeth and the roof of his mouth. He's hot but he's too dehydrated to sweat as he lays in the baking sun of what he can only imagine is the desert.

When he finally has the strength he moves, slowly, onto his hands and knees and that little bit of effort exhausts him. The sun is starting to set, burning red in the sky, but slowly starting to sink. Or is it rising? He can't tell. He looks around but can only see clumps of sage bush and other various plants, the odd gnarled trees looms in the distance.

He manages to crawl a few meters, if he can even call it that before the pain in his head comes rushing back. He can't stifle the cry that escapes his lips and he grinds his forehead into his forearms to try and alleviate some of the pain but it doesn't go away. He collapses again but this time he doesn't stir.

* * *

><p>When he awakes again it's to a cool sensation on his forehead and he takes a deep, startled, shuddery breath when he cracks his eyes open and sees a figure posed over top of him. He tries to move away but he's too weak. When he tries to move his body protests by sending sharp jolts of pain through his nerves.<p>

"Easy, you're seriously dehydrated," a soothing voice says over top of him. He can barely see her with his bleary eyes, but she helps him sit up and he can't stop the groan of pain that escapes his lips. She brings a water skin to his lips and let's a little water trickle into his mouth. It's luke warm but he doesn't care. He guzzles the water greedily and she takes it away. "You'll make yourself sick if you drink too much too fast," she says, and gives him another little sip.

"We need to get you to a healer," she says as she puts the water skin away. He doesn't say anything, he just closes his eyes against the harsh glare of the sun and exhales heavily. "do you think you can stand?"

He stares at her dazedly. "Stand?" he croaks.

"Just for a few minutes, just to get to my camel, he will carry us both," she gestures to where a tall, horse like creature grazes on the sparse desert vegetation. He recognizes the animal as a camel instantly. When the girl whistles the camel's head raises and it lumbers over.

"Jemma," she said as she takes the camel's reins, "down." At her command the camel sinks to its knees, still chewing the dry, desert grass.

He stares at the camel. The camel snorts and the girl is back. She helps him up slowly, and when he stands he feels the blood rush from his head and he feels like he's going to be sick but he hobbles to the camel nonetheless. Once he's there he slumps heavily against the creature's side. He visions goes greys out at the edges and he feels likes he's going to collapse. The girl brushes his bangs out of his face gently and murmurs something about how pale he looks but he's too busy trying to regain his bearings to pay attention to her.

Slowly he manages to swing his leg over the camel's broad back and slumps forward against the animal's back weakly. The girls slips on behind him and wraps her arms around him to reach the reins and to keep him on the camel. The camel rises on command and they set off. The jarring motion of the camel's trot makes his teeth clack and his head pound. He doesn't think he'll be able to take the motions much longer when he feels the camel collect itself and slip into a smooth, flowing and ground eating lope.

Despite the smoothness of the gait, the headache assaults him viciously, and he feels himself fighting for consciousness again. Despite his best efforts he slips away again.

* * *

><p>When he comes to he wakes to a dull throbbing in his head but its tolerable. His body still aches but he finds that the minor pains don't bother him much. He manages to sit up and he doesn't feel the urge to be sick, which he's grateful for. He's in some sort of tent, and before he can move the flap opens and the girl from before sticks her head in before entering.<p>

"You're awake!" she exclaims, and rushes to his side. "You've been out for _days_ and there was a few times we were sure we were going to lose you," her tones becomes a little more sullen, before perking up again. "My name is Kaylu, by the way."

He stares at her and opens his mouth to tell her his name but he freezes. He doesn't know his name. He takes a shuddery breath and tries to think what he was doing in the desert in the first place but he doesn't know. He has no idea what he was doing in the desert at all. He has no idea no idea who he is.

"Are you okay?" she asks softly and he turns frightened eyes to her.

"I...I don't know who I am," he admits, and it sounds scarier out loud than it was in his head. "I don't remember, it's gone, everything..." he's panicking slightly, but her hands on his shoulders help calm him and he takes a deep breath.

"You have heat exhaustion," she says reassuringly. "You were very sick, your memory will probably come back after you get something to eat and drink and rest."

She helps him up and out of the tent, and he notices the tight body suit like thing he was wearing before had been replaced with loose fitting top and pants, and a cowl is wrapped around his neck. She tells him it's useful for when the sand is blowing to keep it out of his nose and mouth.

He learns that Kaylu and her "family" are traveling nomads, gypsies, and that they move around across the desert but that they had settled here because it was close to a water source, there was food for the camels and that there were many desert treasures close by.

There was a large pit in the middle of the settlement with log benches set around for sitting and eating. Around the pit there was a variety of tents set up with the odd wooden caravan wagon mixed. There was a fenced in enclosure that he assumes is for the camels but Kaylu tells him that during the day the camels are set free to graze and that they don't wander far. Dogs wandered around the camp, seeking out a cool place to hide from the desert sun.

In a larger enclosure he can see sheep and goats milling around grazing. They bleat and call to one another and he can see two babies playing together. Kaylu continues with the tour of the small settlement and introducing him to the other gypsies. They are very welcoming and kind to him and he is grateful for that.

By the time they are done he is exhausted and his growls stomachs loudly. He had some broth when he woke up but it wasn't much and he was hungry again but felt to out of place to ask. Kaylu just smiles at him.

"Dinner will be served very soon," she comments on the setting sun. "Would you like to help me catch the camels? We pen them at night to keep predators away from them and the dogs protect them at night."

"I've never really handled a camel before," he admits as he follows her out to wear the camels are eating.

"It's easy," she says as she grabs the halters of the two nearest camels. "Just grab two and lead them to the pen. The other will follow. We feed them grain at night so they are easy to bring back to camp at night."

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><p>As the days go by he doesn't regain his memory. Instead he starts to learn the lifestyle of the gypsies. He finds his body is stronger than he imagined. He doesn't tire easily and the heat doesn't bother him as much as he thinks it should. The gypsies even gifted him with his own camel for while he stayed with them.<p>

Kaylu says he's a natural in the saddle and he finds that riding the camel comes is easier than he thought. She says he must have either ridden camels or horses from wherever he came from. The camel's name is Sahara and she's young, but well trained and surprisingly affectionate.

Despite how well he fits in with gypsies he still feels out of place and he longs for _home_...he just doesn't know where that is.


	4. Chapter 4

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Four ~*~*~<strong>

The gypsies have taken to calling him Kahael, and he grows used to the name. It doesn't feel right, but he doesn't know what is right. He accompanies Kaylu everywhere. She treks out into the desert daily in search of precious stones, herbs, and spices that can be ground up. He can identify certain edible plants but other than that he's pretty useless. Kaylu denies that and says he's good company.

"Where do you get all your supplies?" he asks one day. They had dried fruit with breakfast that morning and the desert wasn't well known for producing apples. He had wondered a few times how the gypsies managed to survive in the unforgiving desert.

"A few times a year we travel to Castletown," she explains. "We trade the herbs and spices and stones for other things we needs like cookware, livestock and medicines. We make a lot of our own stuff too, goat cheese, butter, milk and we have large stores of dried fruit. We breed and raise lambs and sheep for eating..."

He nods as she speaks. He had learned a lot about the way the gypsies lived by being at the camp, but he's not really listening. _Castletown_. The place sends a chill through his spine and a spark in his heart at the same time.

"Where is Castletown?" he asks, and he wonders if this will help him regain his memory.

"It's a few days ride through the wastelands, to the Gerudo Fortress and then through the forests and fields on Hyrule," she explains as she examines a turquoise stone before putting it in a pouch strapped to her waist. She raises her hazel eyes and meets his. "Do you think you're from there?"

He shrugs. "I don't know."

She studies him before reaching a hand out to brush his blond bangs off of his forehead. "You have such a unique look to you, with the red eyes and all. I haven't seen many people who look like you in Hyrule."

He feels a wave of disappointment rush through him and Kaylu is quick to amend herself.

"That means you'll be recognized faster though," she says hastily and he sighs and agrees.

He walks up to Sahara and reaches up and grabs the side of her saddle and jumps, hefting himself up onto the camel without straining her knees by making her bend. Once he's settled on the camel's back and picks up the reins he waits for Kaylu and Jemma to get ready to ride back to camp.

Once she's up she grins at him. "Race ya!" she yells and boots Jemma into a run.

_He can feel the horse's muscles flexing underneath him as they trot side by side down the dusty path. The horses snort and the blond man beside him on a chestnut mare grins at him cheekily._

_"Race ya!" he yells, and the chestnut mare lunges into a ground eating gallop. He rolls his eyes and collects his horse and she springs into a gallop, rapidly gaining on the chestnut mare. He crouches low on the horse's back and she surges even faster. The horses snort in good natured fun and the blond sticks his tongue out at him when he passes them. In front of them looms the gates leading into lake and he sits back and collects his horse before they're flying over the first gate and..._

Sahara lurching into a run to keep up with Jemma jerks him from his thoughts as he realizes he's on a camel in the desert, not on the back of a sleek grey mare flying over grass and fences. Jemma breaks to a trot and then finally to a walk and Sahara follows his lead and soon the camels are walking side by side. He's slightly startled by the vision, no, the memory...he wonders if it actually is a memory. He tries to think of who the man is but he cannot think of his name, no matter how hard he tries.

The cowl that covers the lower half of his face doesn't bother him as much as he imagines it should. He figures that he must have worn one before because the slightly suffocating feeling of the cloth over his mouth and nose feels natural. He reaches a hand up and brushes his blond hair out of his eyes as he scans the desert in front of them for any signs of danger.

When they reach the camp they drop the days findings off in the storage wagon and lead the camels to the camel enclosure and sling their reins over a hitching post. He removes his saddle and hangs it over the rail and picks up a brush and rubs Sahara where the saddle sat to make sure she wasn't sore. She groans and leans into his hands as he brushes her. When he's done she shakes like a big dog. Kaylu does the same with Jemma and when they unclip the reins from the halters both camels trot away from the camp where the camel herd is grazing a fair distance away.

He and Kaylu help chop up some type of root that he's unfamiliar with for dinner. Tonight they're having some type of soup. He usually doesn't question, just eats. Sometimes the food tastes foul in his mouth; he's not used to the strong spices the gypsies use to flavour the bland food they often ate.

By the time the sun had nearly set a fire was blazing in the pit and the soup was hot. It was being ladled out in pottery-like bowls, and he was starving. He was sitting straddling the wooden bench by the fire pit blowing cautiously on his soup. He took a bite and was pleasantly surprised that the hot liquid tasted quite good, not to strongly spiced yet not to bland. He ate hungrily and when he was finished he added his bowl into the dish bin. The gypsies took turns washing the cookware, but tonight was not his night to help out and when he offered he was shooed away.

Stark, an older man who was considered the gypsies unofficially leader stood and spoke.

"The days are beginning to grow shorter and cooler," he starts, and Kahael listens intently to the older man, "It's time we start to plan a trip to the markets to restock our supplies."

Kaylu nods and he glances at her and she explains to him that season of summer is ending in Hyrule and soon Hyrule fields will be buried under a blanket of snow and the pass through the mountains to reach Castletown would be impossible. The desert was mostly unaffected by the cold, but if they didn't leave soon they would have to do without necessary items until spring when the snowfall melted.

He listens as people volunteer to go, and others volunteer to stay and they begin to talk of what needed to be bought and what was available to be traded. He stares into the fire and half listens to the talk around him and half day dreams. Kaylu volunteers the both of them to go and it's decided that they'd leave in three days time.

He wonders if he'll find himself after they voyage over the mountains. The idea of going back has his stomach in knots. He gets a chill when he thinks of why he's in the desert…what if what lies over the mountains doesn't want him back?

* * *

><p>Just encase…Kahael is Sheik, if anybody missed or didn't understand...I hope not though.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Five ~*~*~<strong>

The morning of the third day dawned early and he was woken by Kaylu shaking his shoulder gently. He rose and got himself ready for the day and grabbed his supplies before heading out into the early morning chill of the desert. He noticed that over the course of the weeks he had been staying with the gypsies, the mornings were getting progressively colder, just like the evenings and nights yet the days were still hot.

The others were busy stocking a wooden wagon with provisions, stocking it with food, water, extra clothing and tents, as well as the goods to be traded. Camels were hitched to the sides of the wagon to be used as pack beasts, and two goats were tied to the back to supply milk. Grain was supplied for the animals, stored in barrels in the wagon.

He walked into the camel pen and caught Sahara who was dosing under a palm tree, and led her out to a hitching rail where he clipped his reins to her halter. He saddled her and got her ready for the journey and then did the same with Jemma.

By the time he was done with the camels it was almost time they left. Kaylu thanked him as she collected Jemma's reins and mounted. He mounted Sahara and they waited for a few minutes as the others who were coming saddled up. They said their goodbyes and were prepared to head out. He glanced back at the camp that been his home for the weeks he had stayed there, yet he didn't feel any remorse for leaving it behind. He fit in well enough, but he knew he didn't belong.

* * *

><p>They walked steadily for many hours, switching camels every now and then to pull the heavy wagon. The mountains loomed in the distance, looking close yet far at the same time. He was apprehensive about crossing over them. Kaylu and him were a ways in front of the wooden wagon, acting as scouts. He found he was naturally cautious and watchful and well suited for a scouting job. He found his mind wandering but his eyes still focused and sharp like he was experienced, and he didn't know, maybe he actually was.<p>

Kaylu shields her eyes from the sun as she looks up ahead. "We'll make it to the base of the mountains by nightfall," she comments to him. "Tomorrow we start through the mountain pass, can you see the one mountain that looks almost like a dog head? It's Wolf Point, that's where we cross to get to the desert wasteland."

He wonders how the wagon manages through the mountain, but he supposes it must not be an issue if the gypsies do it every year. Instead, he asks:

"How do the camels fair in the mountains?"

"They are sure footed and wily," she says as she pats Jemma's neck. "They have no problem, plus, the path is worn and they are used to it."

He listens to her tell him the advantages of using camels but he cannot help but wish he was on the back of a horse. When he tells her this she laughs.

"You will soon enough. We borrow Gerudo mounts to travel to Hyrule, they fair better than camels over the plains and it gives the camels a chance to rest."

"_She's Gerudo bred, built for speed and endurance," a girl's voice sounds from the left. He watches the way the grey Gerudo filly dances on the end of the lead rope, dragging the guard sideways._

"_She's beautiful," he says, watching as the filly rises on her hind legs to strike the hair with her front hooves._

"_She untrained, but the Gerudo believe that horses are more devoted to the one that trains them," she says again. "I hope you don't mind, and the stable hands will help you, and your aunt too."_

"_Thank-you so much," he hugs her, she's young, maybe twelve or thirteen, and he's not much taller. She grins at him._

"_What will you name her?"_

_He thinks for a moment. "Calibri."_

"Calibri," he murmurs and the name sounds familiar on his tongue.

"Pardon?" Kaylu asks, glancing at him.

"Nothing," he answers with a shake of his head.

He thinks back to the swift grey mare. Her name is Calibri.

* * *

><p>They've been traveling uphill for hours, and two camels are needed to pull the wagon up the slope. The pass is narrow, and sometimes the sides drop away and if he looks down all he can see is the sheer drop downwards and then rocks. He doesn't look down often. There has been a few times where the ground at the edges gives way under the camel's feet and the first time it happened to Sahara his stomach lurched and his heart leapt into his throat. He was more cautious after that.<p>

"Do you know anything of the war?" Kaylu asks as they ride side by side through a wider section of the mountain path.

"The war?" He repeats, and a shudder runs through his body. Despite the odd feeling, he has no memories of any wars. "No."

"This is our first year going back to trade in Castletown. The city was destroyed by the King Of Evil but he was vanquished by the Hero of Time and now they have rebuilt it. We got by trading with Kakariko and the Gerudo people but it will be nice to see the markets again."

"Hero of Time?" he murmurs and then cringes when a lance of pain lashes through his head.

_He ducks, barley missing the swing of a Stalfos' sword. The skeletal warrior thrusts its shield at him and it hits him, knocking him off balance. He scrambles back and raises his blade in time to deflect a swing aimed for him and his arm aches under the pressure of holding the Stalfos at bay._

_He kicks out, hitting the skeleton in the knee and it crumples. He's on moves quick and hacks the skull from the protruding spinal cord in seconds, rendering the skeleton to be nothing more than a hulking pile of bones._

_He steps forward and winces, "Hero?" he calls out._

_A blond man steps out from around some bushes, slightly ruffled but otherwise unharmed. He comes towards him hurriedly and says, "You're hurt."_

_"It's not bad," he replies, just as the man steps forwards to embrace him tightly. "The horses?"_

_"Are unharmed. The Bulbin rider almost got away but I caught him with Epona," he kisses Sheik's forehead gently. "I have never seen so many different monsters working together before."_

_"Ganandorf is gathering his armies," he says, stepping away from the blond man. "We must make haste to the next temple."_

"Kahael?" Kaylu's voice cuts through the memories and brings him back to the present. He glances down and sees his knuckles are white from how tightly he is gripping the reins. He is shaking, he can feel it and Sahara can sense his distress.

"I...I had a memory, a flashback, I think," he says as he takes a shuddery breath, hoping the pain would lessen in his head.

"Oh, really?" she asks, excited. "what about?

He thinks for a long moment before speaking. "A man in green, a blond man, he was called Hero..." he says, leaving out the fight and his involvement in it.

"Oh, that's the Hero Of Time!" she exclaims. "You must have met him, how lucky!"

He's goes quiet again and Kaylu gives him some space to think about his thoughts. Did he really know this "Hero of Time"? And if so...why did he end up out in the middle of the desert with no memory.

He bites the inside of his cheek and winces.

Kaylu eventually speaks. "It will all become clear soon," she says. "We will reach Castletown in less than four days if all goes well."

He feels a sensation of unease flair through him again at the mention of Castletown but rides forward nonetheless.


	6. Chapter 6

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Six ~*~*~<strong>

The entrance leading to Castletown is large and impressive. Stone steps lead up to an notable drawbridge with large heavy doors, water trickles underneath it, making a slight gurgling sounds. The city is surrounded by large stone walls and the entrances to it are all guarded night and day by the guards, or so Kaylu tells him. She is excited by Castletown's new look, she says the town before had been much smaller. He looks at the entrance but nothing he sees brings back any memories. He wonders if it is because the drastic change or if it is because Castletown is not a link to his past.

The town has been rebuilt, or most of it. There are still in the process of rebuilding some homes but overall the city is nearly complete and has come alive again. Kaylu says it's a miracle to see but he has nothing to compare it to. They have fenced in paddocks for traveler's horses and the gypsies set up their camp in the field by the paddocks. They lead the Gerudo horses to the fields and set them free to graze, along with the goats, which the horses snort at curiously. The mare he rides is black and very smart and she reminds him of the grey mare, Calibri. Her name is Miyran. He sets her loose in the field and leans against the adjoining pasture fence for a few seconds. He's startled when a horse slings it's head over the rails of the fence and nudges his shoulder.

"Hi," he says to the horse quietly, patting her chestnut neck as he steps away. She nickers at him and nudges him with her nose. His name is called by Kaylu and he pats the horse one last time. "Bye," he says as he walks away.

Kaylu tells him that they're going to spend the night relaxing before they go to the markets tomorrow. She tells him he has free reign to wander the city and do as he pleases while they barter. He offers to help but she shushes him and tells him not to worry about. He wants to go into the town now but he forces himself to wait until the morning.

* * *

><p>He agrees to meet Kaylu by the large fountain in the middle of Castletown when the large clock by the Temple of Time chimes four. As he walks past the large, stone temple he feels a prickle of unease run through him. A guard at the Temple's entrance gazes intently at him and it unnerves him so he moves on, deeper into the town.<p>

It's busy. Within seconds Kaylu and the others get swept away by the crowd. There are market stalls everywhere selling fine silks, jewellery, spices, fresh crops, fish, and there were also fulltime shops that had small booths outside to encourage business inside the shop. It was very hectic, and very overwhelming. Kaylu reckoned it was because the markets were finally opened again after being closed while the war raged on. She says that trading for supplies was very difficult during the war because no one had anything to trade.

The castle loomed over the city as well, and when he gazed up at the newly rebuilt, as Kaylu told him, castle he felt that same sense of unease run through him. A guard walks past him and he shrinks away from the man but the guard makes no move towards him or that he even noticed his presence. He takes a deep breath and wonders why the sight of the guard bothered him so much. He hopes its not one of the reasons he doesn't remember.

He was eyeing some jewels when a voice calls, "Sheik!" over the crowd. He turns to look to see where the commotion is coming from but see's nothing so he continues to walk along the stalls, looking at the variety of interesting items. He catches a glimpse of Kaylu in the market but she's quickly swept up into the crowd again. He continues to gaze at the fine glass vases one merchant is selling when a hand wraps around his arm and startles him. He sucks in a surprised breath and turns wildly to see a blond, blue eyed man gazing desperately at him. "Sheik?"

_Sheik?_

"I...it's you, you're alive...I..." he stammers, staring at Kahael so intently he's surprised the man isn't burning holes through him. Kahael shakes his head.

"I'm sorry," he says softly. "I'm not Sheik...I don't think I am."

The man crowds close. "What do you mean?" he asks.

"I...I have no memory of who I am," Kahael explains, gazing into the man's blue eyes. "I woke up in the desert with no memories of who I was before."

"Sheik," the man murmurs. "Do you have any recollection of me? It's Link, it's me, and you're Sheik."

"No," Kahael answers. "Nothing is familiar to me yet."

"What do you mean?" The man asks again, _Link_ asks, as his eyes bore into Kahael's.

"I'm trying, to find out who I am, I mean," he stammers, unnerved by the intensity of the man before him. He steps backwards, but the man catches his arm before he can escape.

"Where are you staying?" Link asks, "Who with?"

"I travel with the Gypsies," Kahal answers, unsure if he should be giving away this information to a stranger, but despite his initial fear, there is something about the man that makes him feel safe . "We are here to trade supplies, we have a camp just outside the city walls."

"Please, can I see you again?" Link asks, and Kahael bites his lip but nods. The relief that shines in the man's eyes is obvious to him. Whoever _Sheik_ was...he was important to this man. He wonders if it could possibly be him.

"I...I should go," Kahael says, tugging his arm free gently. "Meet me tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow," the man nods, not taking his eyes off Kahael. "By the gate, in the morning."

Kahael nods to the man before he slips into the crowd. His heart was thrumming like the wings of a hummingbird as he headed towards the fountain and sat on the edge. People bustled past him without paying him any mind and Kahael was grateful for that. His mind was racing with unanswered questions. The blond man, Link, he reminds himself, is the same man from his memory with the horses and the skeletal warrior. He feels a flare of excitement that he finally met someone who recognized him. He feels jittery, and it's not long before he's due to meet Kaylu. He's excited to tell her the news.

He just hopes this man is the key to unlocking his memories.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Seven ~*~*~<strong>

* * *

><p>The next morning Kahael wakes up with a strange nostalgic feeling resonating through him. He doesn't know what to make of it, but as he goes through the familiar motions of getting ready for the day it doesn't fade. If anything, it increases. Kaylu drags him off to the market with the promise of fresh bread with a mashed strawberry spread; the bakery's breakfast special. He doesn't think he had ever tasted anything like it before.<p>

Kaylu tells him how Castletown has grown and changed so much since it was rebuilt. It was small before, with one entrance and a few shops. Kahael wonders if that's why being here brings no memories back, even though someone claims to know who he is, or was. The only thing that makes a lasting impression on Kahael is the old stone temple, and it makes him feel uneasy. The guards too, make him feel wary. But Link also makes him feel safe, and he's curious to speak with the man again.

When it's time for him and Kaylu to part ways for the day she heads to the shops and he heads for the large doors that lead to the field where the Gypsies set up their camp. He remembers the man's words, Link's words, from yesterday, and wonders if he will actually come to see him again.

As he walks down the stone steps his question is answered. Link has two horses saddled, a grey, and the chestnut that he had met in the field the other day. He approaches slowly, unsure. When the man finally catches sight of him, he smiles warmly, like a ray of sunshine washing over him. It's hard not to trust him.

"You're still here," Link says, once Kahael is close. "I was scared you'd disappear during the night."

"No," he replies, but doesn't know what else to say. Instead he pats the chestnut mare's neck when she nudges his arm. "Hello again," he says softly to her.

"Again?" Link asks, watching Kahael and the horse intently. It makes Kahael blush.

"She came to me on our first day here, when we turned the horses out in the field. She's very friendly," Kahael explains, meeting Link's eyes.

"Epona isn't normally," Link says quietly. "Unless she knows you, she's generally reserved."

Kahael takes a deep breath, but is unsure of what to say. He gazes at the man with his chestnut horse and he knows they're familiar, he just doesn't know who they are. When he's around them he doesn't feel fear. There is something about the man that makes him feel safe.

The man extends his hand out to Kahael and gives him the grey mare's reins. "This is Calibri," he says.

"_She's Gerudo bred, built for speed and endurance," a girl's voice sounds from the left. He watches the way the grey Gerudo filly dances on the end of the lead rope, dragging the guard sideways._

"_What will you name her?"_

_He thinks for a moment. "Calibri."_

Kahael takes in a shuddery breath as he stares at the mare. He accepts her reins from the blond, and pats her neck gently. She snorts in recognition, nudging him gently with her head. When he swings himself onto her back he finds that the stirrups are exactly his length, and the saddle feels more comfortable than any other he's sat in. It feels familiar. She dances underneath him, antsy and fiery. He pats her neck and murmurs soothing words to her and she settles. When he glances at Link the man is gazing at him so fixedly that Kahael must look away.

"I thought we could ride to the lake," Link says as they ride side by side through the field.

Kahael nods. "Did…you and Sheik…did you go to the lake a lot?"

When Kahael peeks over at Link to gauge the man's reaction he's a little startled by the emotion present on the blonde's face. He looks at Kahael with longing and desperation. He doesn't answer right away, and Kahael stays quiet while he waits. He can only imagine how much this man has suffered. He feels bad that he is only a puppet of the one he loved, not the real Sheik, but a stranger masquerading in his body.

"We have…had, many memories there," Link finally says.

After a while they let the horses extend their legs in a brisk canter, and Kahael takes the time to look out over the scenery of the fields. Everything seems so familiar, so much more so than the desert ever was, but at the same time it feels wrong. It's like his memories are veiled. He knows they're there and he can make them out ever so slightly, but they are still obscured. It's disheartening. He wishes more than ever that he knew who he was.

Calibri leaps into a light-hearted buck, tossing her head high and shaking Kahael from his thoughts.

"She's sick and tired of being cooped up in the castle stables," Link comments as he watches the little mare act up again.

"Does no one ride her?" he asks as the mare settles back into a smooth, flowing canter once more.

"Not often," Link says, gazing ahead but Kahael catches the stony look present on his features.

Up ahead Kahael can see the lake, the water glittering in the sunlight. He remembers sitting by the lake, waiting. Waiting for what, he can't remember, but the memory makes him feel anxious. But the lake isn't full. The water is murky and dank, and the banks of the lake are dry. He doesn't like it. He can see the chestnut mare dozing in the shade of a tree, and Calibri is grazing not far from where to water level should lay. He blinks and the serene picture is painted in front of his eyes again. The water is crystal clear, the water level is high and deep and the sun is shining and high in the sky. A gull flies overhead, sailing effortless in the breeze.

"Was there a time when the lake was…tainted?" Kahael asks as the ride towards the water's edge. Link doesn't answer him right away, and Kahael glances at him to see why he isn't speaking. "Link?" he prompts gently.

"There is a lot about your past that you probably won't believe," Link says, with a little grin as they halt the horses beside the water.

"And why wouldn't I believe it?" Kahael asks, loosening his hold on his reins to allow Calibri to stretch her neck down for a drink and Link does the same.

"Do you know anything of the war?" Link asks as they dismount from their horses. The take their bridles off and sling them over the saddle horns on the saddles to allow them to graze freely. Kahael sits beside Link on the bank of the lake. The gentle sound of the waves lapping on the banks by their feet is soothing. His words remind him of Kaylu's while they were traveling through the mountain pass. The war seemed to have had a huge impact on the land and it's people.

Kahael toys with a piece of grass as he speaks. "Some, not much-" and then it hits him.

_Kahael steps forward and winces, "Hero?" he calls out._

_A blonde man steps out from around some bushes, slightly ruffled but otherwise unharmed. He comes towards him hurriedly and says, "You're hurt."_

"You're The Hero of Time, aren't you?" Kahael asks, gazing at Link intently.

The man nods. "I am."

"Kaylu told me much of your feats and triumphs defeating the evil king," Kahael says quietly. "You must be very brave."

"I would have gotten nowhere without you," Link says, and the words make Kahael blush. He looks away from Link unsurely, and he cannot find words to say back to the man.

"That…I'm sure I didn't do anything that helpful," Kahael says, but hesitates when Link scoffs at him.

"You guided me, you taught me the sacred songs, you kept me from starving, saved my life, on multiple occasions I should add. You did more than you, and all of Hyrule, could ever know. You were my saviour."

Kahael stares out at the lake intently, refusing to look towards Link. He can feel the man's eyes boring into him intently. "I…I remember, some of it. Fighting creatures, riding with you, the tainted lake…"

Link shifts closer, and Kahael flinches when an arm rests across his shoulders, but after a moment he relaxes into it. Link is quiet for a few minutes, and Kahael is happy to just sit side-by-side with the him by the lake. It brings him a strange sense of nostalgia. He feels that a lot lately and he wonders if it's a good thing.

"You came to me, at the Temple of Time," Link says, out of the blue. "You told me your name was Sheik, and explained to me what I had to do. You worked for the Princess, Zelda, do you remember Zelda at all?"

The name makes Kahael cringe.

"_Princess," he says, looking abashed. _

"_None of that I said!" she says playfully, "Zelda, say it with me."_

_He rolls his eyes. "__**Zelda**__," he answers and she pets his head. _

He doesn't know why the name makes his head ache. "It's familiar."

If Link noticed his reaction to the Princess' name, he doesn't mention it. Instead he continues with his story. He tells Kahael all about awakening the sages, cleansing the temples, and their travels. His stories have Kahael both laughing and denying that he could have a part in something so critical to the nation's safety. But as Link speaks his words inspire images to dance across Kahael's mind, and he knows they are memories.

But most off all…they make him wonder why he ended up is a desert with no recollection of who he was.


	8. Chapter 8

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Eight ~*~*~<strong>

Kahael doesn't want to relinquish the grey mare's reins when the reach the edge of Castletown. He feels very strongly about the little mare, and doesn't want to give her up. Link can see his inner battle, and he smiles softly at him.

"We can go out together again tomorrow," the man says, and Kahael sighs and lets go of the reins, letting Link take them from him.

"I would like that," Kahael says softly, and the man smiles at him again and it makes Kahael's insides feel funny. He looks away because he can't handle looking into Link's intense blue eyes any longer.

"Then it's a date," Link says, and he goes to step away to bring the horses back to the stable but Kahael says "wait," before he can go. He turns to look at him and Kahael fiddles with the hem of his shirt before meeting up and looking in Link's eyes again.

"Can I see you again, tonight?" he asks, and he blushes. He has no idea what he's thinking, but whatever it is, he knows it's not rational. The smile Link rewards him with is more than worth the embarrassment he felt though.

"I…would really like that," Link says, and Kahael gives him a small, shy smile. "I can meet you out by your camp, if you'd like?"

Kahael nods. "Okay."

They part, and Kahael feels like he floats all the way back to the camp. His feels ridiculously happy, and he doesn't know why. He can tell that he felt very strong for Link at one time, and he wonders what the dynamic of their relationship was. He tries not to dwell on the issue though. He's sure it will reveal itself soon. Being around Link is helping him to paint the picture of his life in his mind. He doesn't have much of his memory back, but he is getting tiny pieces, bit by bit.

Kaylu spots him and skips over to him quickly. She catches on to his good mood immediately and smiles at him.

"What has you so happy?" she asks as they walk back towards camp together.

Kahael grins a little. "I spent the day with Link today," he admits, and Kaylu practically squeals in her excitement. "And he told me about my past and I remembered bits and pieces about what he was speaking of."

"That's great!" Kaylu exclaims, and hugs him tightly. For the first time, Kahael returns it, just as tight.

"He's coming to see me again, tonight," he says with a slight blush tingeing his cheeks.

"Invite him for dinner!" Kaylu says immediately. "I want to meet him, please Kahael, please?"

"I have no idea what is going to happen," he says. "He says my name was Sheik."

"Sheik?" she repeats, looking at him, scrutinizing. "I don't see it."

He laughs, feeling more light-hearted than he had felt since waking up in the desert. "Either do I," he admits.

* * *

><p>When Link meets him at the base of the large stone stairs leading to Castletown's east entrance the man greets him with a smile. Kahael knows Kaylu is watching, no matter how discreetly she's trying to be about it. He's aware that most of the gypsies are watching and whispering, but he ignores their gazes and focuses on Link's. In the setting sun the man looks remarkable. He's tall, taller than Kahael, and his shoulders are much broader than his own.<p>

"Hi," he greets shyly, smiling at the man.

"Hello," he says softly. He reaches a hand out very slowly and brushes a piece of Kahael's hair back from his face and tucks it behind his ear. "Sheik…he would have hit me if I tried to do that to him," Link admits.

Kahael sputters a little, "Would I have?" he asks in disbelief.

"Sheik was much more…guarded," Link admits. "You smile more."

"Was I unhappy?" Kahael asks, looking over to where the gypsies are making a light, modest supper.

"Not unhappy, no," Link says, and takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "The Sheikah customs, your race, are very strict and you abided by your rules."

"I'm breaking a lot of them right now, aren't I?" Kahael asked, frowning.

"Yes, Sheikah's are never supposed to reveal their faces to outsiders, skin is not permitted to be seen outside of immediately family and betrothed…"

"So basically my family will disown me?" Kahael asks, but he can't bring himself to be that upset. His family must not love him that much if they never even came looking. Link has never even mentioned them before. "Was I really that stuffy?"

Link laughs. "At first you scared me," he admits, and that makes Kahael blush. "But you're a softy underneath and…you let your rules slide, a lot, with me."

"I wish I could remember everything," Kahael says wistfully and looking at Link. "I wish I could remember you."

"It's coming, slowly," Link says. "What did you want to do tonight?"

"Well…Kaylu really, _really_ wants to meet you and she said, maybe we could eat dinner with them?"

"Sounds like a plan," and with a grin, he grabs Kahael's hand and pulls him over towards the gypsies' camp.

* * *

><p>Link had sat through various questions from the gypsies during dinner. He told them many stories of his adventures, and told them much about Sheik and their adventures together, which made Kahael blush and laugh as Link told them. Kaylu, after discovering who Link was, seemed a little reserved. Kahael figured she was just shy. She spoke so fondly of Link on the journey to Castletown. She was probably star struck. It made Kahael grin a little. Kaylu was rarely quiet.<p>

They sat around the fire telling stories quite late into the night, later than Kahael was used to. He yawned, and Link smiled at him, wrapping his arm around him and pulling the younger man into his side. Kahael allowed the gesture, and a few of the girls beside him grinned at him. Link sat side by side with Kahael on Kahael's bedroll by the fire. The night air was chilly, and he was grateful for Link's added warmth.

Once the fire was nearly burnt out and most of the others had disbanded from the circle to sleep for the night, Link started to rise to leave.

"It's late, I should go-"

"Stay," Kahael said softly into the darkness. "With me."

Link hesitated. "Are you sure, Kahael?" But he returned to sitting on the bedroll beside the younger man. Even though it was his name, at least for now, it sounded wrong coming from Link's mouth.

"Yes," Kalael answered, looking into Link's blue eyes intently. He man shifted so they were face to face in the darkness, only the slight flickering of the fire to illuminate their faces.

"Okay," Link breathed, moving forward ever-so-slightly. Kahael closed the distance between them, merging their lips together in a soft, gentle kiss that made the little hairs on the back of Kahael's neck stand on end. Link's right hand cupped his neck gently, his thumb stroking the tan skin of his neck tenderly while his left hand rested on Kahael's hip.

When they broke apart Kahael had to take a deep breath. Without speaking they climbed into the bedroll and lay down to sleep. Kahael's back pressed into Link's chest with Link's arm slung over his waist. Kahael was warm and felt safe.

It was the best night of sleep he had gotten since he awakened in the desert.

* * *

><p>Link held Kahael close and he could feel the younger man drift off to sleep in his arms, but Link's mind was racing too fast for him to sleep. Here his Sheik was, sleeping soundly in his arms without any memory, or very few, of who he was. In the Castle, Zelda slept. The very Zelda that claimed to be his Sheik. Link had no doubt in his mind that the boy who slept in his arms right now was his Sheik.<p>

Why would Zelda lie to him? Link closed his eyes and pulled Sheik close and hugged him tight, afraid to lose him again.

He was going to get answers in the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

Revelation of Lies will be updated every Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday until completed.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

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><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Nine ~*~*~<strong>

Link appeared early in the morning as the gypsies were beginning to disperse into Castletown to commence their final day of trading. There had been much discussion of what still needed to be purchased as they broke their fast that morning on porridge, not exactly Kahael's favourite but edible. Kahael didn't engage in conversations of those matters; the gypsies knew what they needed and he didn't want to impose so he kept quiet and listened. It was quite fascinating to listen to them. Their way of survival was very different than those who lived in Castletown, but he didn't find it that hard to adjust himself to. When he awoke in the desert he was content with simple meals and hard work.

"Hello," Link said lowly as he led the horses over. Kahael reached for Calibri's reins as soon as they were in reach and the grey mare rubbed her head against his arm affectionately. Link watched the display with a soft smile on his face that made Kahael blush and look away.

"Hello," Kahael greeted back. "Where to today?" he asked, as he checked the cinch of his saddle to ensure it was tight before swinging easily onto the grey mare's back.

"Home," Link said simply, as he mounted Epona.

"Home?" Kahael questioned as he followed the chestnut horse as they headed down a path Kahael had never ventured down. They rode side by side, trotting, as the morning sun shined down upon them through the branches of the tress creating a dappled pattern on the ground.

"Your home," Link clarified. "Your aunt's house."

"My aunt?" Kahael asked in surprise. "I have family?"

The thought of a family made his heart swell, but saddened him at the same time. Did they not care enough to look for him?

"She's the Sage of the Shadow Temple," Link said softly, "She's no longer with us."

"Oh," Kahael said, a fierce ache present in his chest. "Aunt Impa," he said suddenly, as a flash of memory appeared before his eyes.

_"This is my nephew, your Grace," the woman said as she pushed a young boy out in front of her. Her silvery hair was in tight bun at the back of her head, but her eyes were gentle. "I think it's time he learned the Sheikah duties to the Hyrule Royal Family."_

_The man smiled at the boy. "Zelda is in the gardens, if you'd like to go play," he said kindly. The boy looked to Impa and she nodded._

_"Thank-you, your Grace," the boy said before heading out of the room towards the gardens._

"You remember her?" Link asked, surprised.

"I remember being in a large hall with her, in front of a king, something about Sheikah duties and playing with someone named Zelda," Kahael answered, trying to remember more of his aunt but coming up with nothing. He turned to Link instead. "does that sound right?"

"It does, but I could not tell you for sure," Link replied. "Your past is not clear to me. I have only known you a short while."

"Really?" Kahael asked in surprise, looking at the man.

"This surprises you?" Link asked, a soft smile on his face.

"It just seems...I feel like I've known you forever, or, the old me did at least," Kahael said softly. "You seem familiar and safe, I feel as I can trust you though I do not know you."

"I'm glad you feel at ease around me," Link said.

They were quiet after that, though the air between them was not tense. When they reached a grassy patch of open field they let the horses break from the trot and canter out. Both mares were in high spirits and picked up a smooth, fluid canter as they rode along the path through the field. Kahael was content to watch the scenery pass by as he rode. He much preferred the grass and trees to the dust and sand of the desert. They slowed the horses to a walk as the approached a river with a bridge leading over it. They let the horses have a drink before continuing on their way after a brief fuss from Calibri, chatting all the while.

They reached a stairs leading up to a large gate. A sign at the base of the stairs read _Kakariko Village_. Memories flashed through his mind at random, one as a small child playing by the base of an immense windmill, another of an older him sitting atop a fence post as he watched the cuccos wander around aimlessly, one of him and Link approaching the old well, and another as a small child watching Impa tack a grey horse up in the small stables at the outskirts of the village, calling out, "Hurry Sheik!" as she fastened the saddle. A hand landed on his shoulder and Kahael gasped, jerking out of this memories.

"Kahael?" Link questioned, concerned. "Are you okay, you got really quiet and pale."

He leaned against Calibri's side for a second and took a deep breath. "Memories," he said softly.

"More?" Link said, and he smiled. "This is a good thing, I had hoped bringing you here would spark a memory. We have...many memories here, together."

"I saw us walking towards a well?" he said, looking at Link when Link laughed.

"You would remember the worst thing possible about us and this village," Link says with a grin as they lead the horses into the village.

"Oh, right, you told me by the lake, the creature that attacked us by the well," Kahael says, glancing at Link. "Are you sure you didn't make it up? I can't believe I was that brave."

Link reached over and catches Kahael's free hand and squeezes it gently. "You were very brave," he says solemnly.

A few curious looks are thrown their way as they enter the village, and Kahael feels oddly exposed, but he follows Link to the stable where they put the horses in empty stalls. The whole way through the village to the stables Link never let go of his hand, and Kahael didn't mind at all. It was nice. Inside the barn Kahael gives them hay while Link fills the water troughs in their stalls. When they're done in the barn Link leads him towards a house and unlocks the door before slipping inside. The house is slightly dusty, like it hasn't been used in awhile. There are unlit candles around, and a beaded curtain hangs in a doorway, and Kahael figures it leads to the bedroom. The house is modest, but oddly enough, it feels like home.

"You're aunt left this place to you when she found out she was a sage, but it's been yours for awhile as Impa spent most of her time at the Castle with the princess," Link explains as he leads Kahael inside.

"It feels very familiar," Kahael says as he glances around.

"You grew up here for the most part," as he steps close to Kahael. Kahael can feel his heart hammering to the beat of a galloping horse. Kahael glances up to Link, and the man's eyes are focused on his face intently. Link reached his hand up gently and rests it on Kahael's cheek. "I missed you so much," he says softly.

Kahael doesn't know what to say. He thinks he should be scared off by the intimacy, but he's not. Especially not after last night. It feels right, Link feels right. He smiles shyly at the other man, unsure of what to do or say. Link tilts his head up gently, and he gazes into Kahael's eyes intensely. The passion in his eyes makes Kahael flush. Very slowly Link leans in to kiss him, giving him plenty of time to duck out of it should he chose to, but he doesn't. Instead, he leans forward and meets Link's lips gently with his own. Link's hand remains on his cheek, angling his face ever so gently into the kiss and his other rests of Kahael's hip. In a bout of bravery, Kahael wraps his arms around Link's back and pulls the man close. They break apart and Link drops his head to Kahael's shoulder and pulls him close to his body, and hugs him tight. Kahael can feel Link's warm breath against his neck and he allows himself to be held tightly, almost painfully so, against Link.

"You can't imagine the agony I felt when you were gone," Link whispers into Kahael's neck, still holding him tight.

"What happened to me?" Kahael asks, voicing the question that's been nagging at him ever since he woke in the desert.

Link pulls back and gazes at him intently, his eyes watery. "I don't know, but I promise you I'm going to find out.

* * *

><p>He stalks across the cobblestones towards the stables leading Calibri and Epona behind him. The Castle looms in front of him with its immaculate gardens and landscaping. The castle has only been rebuilt for a little under six months but the greenery has flourished. The grooms in the stable catch onto his mood soon as he enters the stable, and scramble to take the horses from him and see to their care. Link normally sees to Epona himself, but today there is a more pressing matter he needs to attend.<p>

Zelda.

He clenches his hands into fists as he strides through the castle. Nobody stops him or questions him; he is the Queens fiancé after all. The thought makes him clench his teeth. He knows the castle like the back of his hand, and he's outside Zelda's personal chambers within minutes. Just like he knows the castle, Link also knows Zelda's schedule. In the afternoon she likes to have tea in her sun room as a bit of a reprieve of her busy and stressful day before going back to work. As angry as he is at her, Link can't deny that she has put a tremendous amount of work and effort into rebuilding the city and strengthening the relationships with all the nations within Hyrule.

But he's still fuming.

He enters her rooms without knocking. Zelda looks up, surprised, from the book she was reading. Her face breaks into a grin when she sees him. The guard stationed by the door bows his head and takes his leave.

"Link," she says softly. "Have you come to join me?"

"We need to talk," he says stiffly, letting the doors swing shut behind him but not moving from just inside the doorway.

She frowns as she meets his eyes. "About what, love?" she asks, then takes a sip of her tea. "Can it not wait until we sit for supper? I am tired of listening to negotiations and politics, it gives me such a dreadful headache."

He's tired of her games. He needs answers, _now. _"Sheik," he demands, and she tilts her head at him and gives him a puzzled look.

"Yes?" she says finally, watching him closely. "I don't think I need to explain to you again who I am, silly."

He stalks closer to her and she meets his eyes, but her this time her gaze doesn't hold the same confidence as it did before.

"Drop that act," Link spits out. "What did you do to him?"

"_Sheik_ is _me_," Zelda says, taking another sip of tea, but Link can see her resolve crumbling ever-so-slightly.

"He's not!" Link finally shouts at her, and she recoils back at him, shocked. "He's not and by the gods you damn well know it!"

He's trembling now, a whirlwind of emotion rippling through his body. The anger at Zelda's lies, the anguish of losing Sheik, the bewilderment of his return and the distress of his inability to recognize Link have built up inside the man to the point of bursting. He stares at Zelda, breathing heavily.

"What did you do to him?" he asks, cracking under his emotions. He can feel the burn of the tears in his eyes but he keeps the liquid at bay as he stares Zelda down. She looks back at him, wide eyed and uncertain.

"Nothing," she finally says. "You're mistaken, Link. It is me, was me the whole time. It's me who you love, as I love you," she says, abandoning her tea.

"Lies," he says, shaking his head. "He's here," he meets her eyes. "Tell me why he's here then."

Her eyes go a little wider before she regains her composure. "I told you, I took the look of a simple desert boy to hide my true self. Surly the boy is just here in a nomad group for trading supplies. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Sheik could defend himself, he was never afraid of battle but in Ganon's castle you were frightened at the sight of foes, you're terrified of Calibri while Sheik could ride that horse bareback with his hands tied, don't you think I noticed these things?" Link says and Zelda just shakes her head as he steps closer and stands in front of her.

"The magic-" she starts to say but Link slams his hand into the table, spilling her tea all over the cloth covering on the wood. Zelda jumps and stares at him.

A tear runs down his cheek. "Then why does he have Sheik's memories?"

She doesn't hide her shock this time. "W-what are you talking about?"

"He can remember bits and pieces but most of his memory is veiled," another tear runs down Link's face. "Please, Zelda, what happened to him?"

"You weren't supposed to love him!" she shouts, her persistence finally breaking. "You were supposed to love _me_!"

He stares at her mutely, trying to absorb her words and decipher their meaning.

"You weren't supposed to love him," Zelda repeats, her own tears running freely down his face. "I loved you Link, I needed you."

"What did you do to him?" Link says, finally shaking off his stupor. "You tried to murder him!"

"No!" she cries, appalled. "I loved Sheik as a brother – but you must understand, you were supposed to love me, Link, I had to get rid of him."

"You say you love him but you cast him aside so casually?" Link cried, glaring at her. "I am not a plaything of yours, my heart is my own and I may give it to who I choose and I chose him. There is nothing you can do about that."

He's surprised that the guard hasn't re-entered the room with all the shouting, but the doors remain shut and he and Zelda are still alone.

"But we were happy," Zelda sniffled, gazing at Link with teary eyes.

"I played your game Zelda, but I was never truly happy. You must have known this. You were never Sheik."

"I know," she said, tears renewed. "I was so stupid," she sobbed. "So selfish…"

"Please, if you loved him, as you say, help him," Link begs, as he falls to his knees in front of the chair Zelda sat in. "Help him," he repeats.

"I can't…the spells I used are too powerful for me to reverse…that he remembers anything is remarkable," Zelda whispers, and Link feels his heart shatter. "He'll never forgive me, I'm no better than Ganondorf, Goddesses, how I was so greedy…not fit to be Queen…"

Link says nothing. He doesn't know what to say. He sits by Zelda's feet, dejected and lost. Zelda cries quietly, and despite everything she's done, Link doesn't feel angry at her. She suffered through the war too. She lost her parents, had to hide away for years, rebuild an entire city, a _nation_. And she did it, just a child still. But couldn't the same be said about him while he saved the nation she had to rebuild? And he knew better than to toy with one's emotions.

When she speaks, her voice is small and timid. "I wiped his memories. I didn't want to hurt him, I just needed him gone…I felt horrible after I did it."

"You can't do anything for him?" Link asks, looking up at her pleadingly.

"I cannot," she says softly. "I am so sorry…"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

**~*~*~ Chapter 10 ~*~*~**

* * *

><p>Kahael watches despondently as Link leads the horses away back up the stone entrance to Castletown to the Castle's stables. Link said he had matters that he needed to deal with when they had returned from their ride. He watched Link's retreating back until he disappeared through the heavy wooden doors leading into Castletown. He turned around and was startled to see Kaylu standing beside him, her gaze trained on where Link had entered into the city. She fell into step with him as they walked back towards the Gypsy camp, side by side.<p>

"He seems...nice," Kaylu said finally as they stopped just short of the camp.

Kahael smiled. "He is," he agreed.

"And very handsome," she added, which made Kahael blush, but agree again.

"He is, isn't he?" he said, smiling.

"But...he's the Hero of Time," she said as she looked away from him, troubled.

"He told me about it...I cannot imagine myself the way he describes, but it must be so," Kahael says. He feels unnerved by the way Kaylu was acting. She was the one who encouraged him to meet with Link and begged to meet him. Now that she knew who he was she was acting oddly.

"Kahael," she says softly, and he meets her eyes. They are full of sadness, and it makes an uneasy feeling crawl up Kahael's spine as he watches her. "The Hero of Time is engaged to the Queen of Hyrule."

Her words stun him - he freezes, uncomprehending for a second until the words, and their meaning, sink in. When they do he reels back, as if physically hit. It _hurts_.

"You...you must be mistaken," he stammers, his ruby eyes staring at Kaylu desperately, but the desert girl just shakes her head slowly. "You must," he insists. Link wouldn't lie to him. "You must," he says again, quietly.

"There is much talk of the wedding," Kaylu says, and her words make the ache in his chest increase. "It's to be held on the first of the month."

Kahael's world has suddenly been flipped upside down. He thought he had finally found where he belonged...he thought he found somebody who loved him. Tears burned in his eyes and he fought them back, turning away from Kaylu to try and hide his emotions from the girl. His stomach was in knots, and his chest ached with an intensity that made him cringe. He was lost all over again, and this time he didn't know where to go for answers. Kaylu wrapped her arms around him gently, and at first he tensed up at her touch but he allowed himself to relax into her hold.

He couldn't stay here, not while Link weds another. Not if he was willing to feed Kahael lies and offer false love. But why?

"I'm so, so sorry," she whispers into his ear as the first tear runs down his cheek.

"What do I do now?" he asks, voicing his fears.

She squeezes him tight and steps back. "Come with us."

He nods, but in his heart he knows he won't be staying in the desert for long.

* * *

><p>The mood in the camp is tense. Kaylu mentions that Shantelle had told the rest of the Gypsies of Link's engagement - out of concern, not to hurt him - and now everybody was walking on eggshells around him. The cheery mood from last night as they sat around the fire trading tales is long gone. It made him feel more lost and out of place than ever before. He was sitting off on his own, staring out at the horses as they grazed in the fading rays of sunlight. He had his knees drawn up to his chest, his chin resting on them, with his arms wrapped around his legs. His original plan was to stay in Castletown with Link. The man had requested he stay when the Gypsies left to travel back to the desert. He had agreed, and the smile he had been awarded was beautiful.<p>

Thinking back on it made his heart break a little more.

There was no way he could stay here now. Not when...not when he was nothing more than the Hero of Time's whore. The thought made tears burn in his eyes again, but it made everything make sense. The Queen had disposed of him. That was why he had ended up in the desert with no memory of who he was. She wanted to get rid of her future husband's bedwarmer...his whore...another tear escaped down his cheek and he wiped it away angrily. Link's whole story about "Sheik" was probably a lie too. He never helped the Hero defeat the King of Evil...a lie. Everything was a lie to draw him in and snare him.

That night Kahael got little sleep and what sleep he got was plagued by haunting images and nameless nightmares. He got up before the sun and rounded up all the Gerudo horses and hitched them to the fences. He ran a rug brush over them to clean their coats of dirt to prevent the saddle from rubbing before he tacked them all up. He left the two cart horses standing by the gates waiting to be hitched to the wagon. He was cleaning their feet of debris when Kaylu walked over to him.

"We are almost ready to leave," she said softly. "You are coming with us?"

He steeled his face into an emotionless mask. "Yes," he answered. Where else would he go?

Kahael wanted to leave as soon as possible. Link was planning on meeting him in the afternoon to go for another ride through the fields, and Kahael had originally been thrilled at the idea of going for another ride with the man, but now he just wanted to get away from him. The sun was just cresting the mountains when the Gypsies finished hitching the horses to the wagons. Kahael was already mounted Miyran, the black Gerudo mare, waiting. He found himself missing Calibri, the little grey mare he rode when with Link.

As the Gypsies began to move out, Kahael looked back and stared at Castletown one last time. He never planned to visit the city or meet its people again, for as long as he lived. With that final thought he turned Miyran around and clucked to her, trotting to catch up with the gypsies. He kept his head held high and avoided the looks that they gave him - pity, and sadness - and focused forward on the road.

He didn't know where he was going to end up, and despite his attempt to look strong, he was broken and crumbling on the inside.

* * *

><p>Link finished saddling Calibri and led her outside to where Epona was standing hitched, already tacked. He swung onto Epona's back with ease, and led the grey mare alongside them. Castletown market was hectic as usual, but the sound of hooves on the cobblestones sent people scattering to get out of his way. Calibri danced at the end of her reins, head high and nostrils flared. Link rolled his eyes at the mare's antics and patted Epona's neck. He didn't know what Sheik saw in the little mare. She was flighty and difficult to control. Link much preferred Epona, brave and honest, willing to please and sensible.<p>

He was lost in his thoughts when he was nearly jerked out of his saddle when Calibri balked at the drawbridge, planting her feet and refusing to cross it. After some coaxing, she stepped onto it daintily and crossed. The guards opened the heavy wooden doors for him as he approached, nodding in greeting at him, and when he exited into Hyrule field he took a deep breath and smiled.

It promptly melted off his face.

The gypsies were gone, their camp vacated. His heart started to pound in his chest as he looked around and didn't see them anywhere in sight. The horses were gone from the field beside the city walls. They were supposed to leave until later that day but it was only mid-afternoon and their camp was gone - everything, the tents, the bedrolls, the wagon, everything, gone. He turned to the guard who gave him an odd look.

"The camp, the gypsies, when did they leave?" Link asked.

"At dawn this morning," the man said.

Link swung down from his saddle quickly and led both horses back into the city without a word. He went to various shop stalls and collected supplies before heading back the castle. He slung both mare's reins over a hitching post and headed into the castle to his personal chambers. He strapped the Master Sword on his back, the weight of it familiar, along with his shield and arrows. He felt naked without the weapons, but Zelda said he shouldn't wear them around Castletown now that peace had been restored to the land, that it might give people the wrong impression.

Now that the King of Evil was sealed away his monsters were scattered, rare, but still out there and he wasn't taking any chances. He strapped all his supplies on Calibri and swung onto Epona's back again before leaving Castletown. Once he reached the open plains of the field he pushed the horses into a ground eating canter, but didn't push them into a full gallop. The gypsies had a few hours head start on him, but they would be traveling much slower. He had to catch them before they reached the desert or he'd never find them...

He couldn't risk losing Sheik again. Not after he had finally found him. He had no idea why he had left...but he had to find him, he had to know why he would leave.

He just prayed that he could catch him in time.

* * *

><p>Kahael shifted in his saddle. He was stiff and sore for riding so long, but the gypsies wanted to reach the Gerudo encampment by the early morning of the following day. They were worried about snow in the mountain passage. The trek was already harsh, and it would be deadly with blowing snow and ice. The horses trotted forward willingly. The Gerudo breed was praised for their stamina, and they could cover many miles steadily without rest. They had already ridden much farther than he had Link had ever ventured out before.<p>

"How're you holding up?" Kaylu asked him as they trotted their mounts side by side.

"I will be fine," he answered, giving no emotion what-so-ever. He'd rather hide the pain away than try to deal with it.

She gave him a dubious look but said nothing more. "We will be stopping soon, there is a small pond where we can let the horses drink and rest, plus night will be falling soon so we will camp there and the horses can graze."

Kahael nodded. He glanced behind him and saw an expanse of fields scattered with small copses of tress scattered throughout, but he didn't see any riders in the distance. He didn't know if this was what he wanted, or if the thought that Link didn't care about his departure made the lingering pain his chest increase or not.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Eleven ~*~*~<strong>

After two days of hard riding Link had yet to catch up the gypsies and the thought was both disheartening and depressing. He pushed his horses as hard as he could but he knew if he pushed them too hard he risked injuring them which would slow him down even more. The head start the gypsies had on him was proving to be troublesome, and they must have been moving at a fairly decent speed to be eluding him. He sighed as he patted Epona's neck and slipped her bridle off so she could graze. He did the same to Calibri and let the mare rest for a bit. The Gerudo Fortress was only a few more hours ride away. Link wondered if he had taken a different route than the gypsies and passed them. Maybe he would make it to the Gerudo settlement before they did. It was unlikely, but it was better than thinking he had missed them all together.

After a few hours and a meagre dinner for himself Link was on his way once again. Slowly the grass and trees melted and changed to hard sand underfoot and rocks and mountains. It wasn't long until he saw the familiar bridge leading across the river and to the Gerudo Fortress. He crossed it quickly, after a brief protest from Calibri, and continued on his way. The sun was setting as he rode into the Fortress and the news he received there was not what he was hoping to hear.

"They were here around midday today," the Gerudo girl guarding the gate informed him. "They hitched their camels up and rode out around four in the afternoon. They want to reach the base of the mountains nightfall. It's where they set their camp up. It's only a few hours ride through the wasteland."

"Where? In which direction?" Link asked as he let Calibri and Epona have a drink and rest while he got information.

"To the west, opposite of the Scared Temple - you could follow the tracks left if the shifting sands and blowing winds haven't distorted them," she suggested.

"The west?" Link asked unsurely. He had never ridden Epona through the desert, let alone to an unknown part...but if the gypsies could manage it with their camels surly his horses would be fine.

"If you climb up to the lookout tower with me I can show you where they ride to. The mountain range is very distinct. They camp around there every year."

Link followed her up the ladder and thanked her for all her help when she pointed out an area of mountains that looked like a dog's head, named Wolf Point. He thanked her again, especially when she gave him a cowl to protect his face from the blowing sands and bid him good luck. She advised that he waited till morning but he had no time. He mounted Epona and set off again at a walk through the shifting sands of the desert. Calibri, who had been born in the desert, had a much easier time walking through the sands.

He just prayed to the goddess that the gypsies were at their camp at the base of Wolf Point.

* * *

><p>Being back in the saddle of a camel made Kahael realise how much he preferred riding horses. He quickly grew use to the long, swinging strides of the camel and let his body flow with the motion. He looked ahead and could see the wolf head formation in the mountains, and he knew they would be stopping very soon to make camp before nightfall reached them. He disliked being so close to the mountains. Wolfos roamed them in packs. They were easy defeated, but precautions had to be taken when around areas they populated. Kaylu said she had never seen one wander down from the mountains but the thought that they could made him feel uneasy. He was on watch duty tonight, but he was watching the desert. Another man named Ralf was in charge of keeping an eye on the mountain range.<p>

When they finally reached their destination they hitched the camels to tethers; the risk of them wandering off and getting attacked by wolfos to great to chance. They built a fire to cook on, and Kahael helped where he could, chopping various roots and such to add to the soup they were having that night. Game was sparse in the desert and there hadn't been a fresh catch that day so dinner was a blend of roots and spices mixed into a soup. Kahael was used to meals like this and found he didn't mind the simpleness.

The stars were high in the sky when Kaylu approached him again. "How're you doing?"

"I wish you'd stop asking," he snapped, with a little more bite than he intended. He sighed immediately afterwards. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she grabbed his hand and squeezed. "I understand that this must be hard for you."

"I would rather not speak of it," he replied, looking into the fire and watching the way the flames danced.

"Okay," she answered softly.

"It's late," he said. "You should be sleeping."

"The moon is barley in the sky," she protested. "But I am tired," she admitted.

"Sleep," Kahael said, giving the girl a soft smile. "I will be fine."

She rose. "If you say so. Goodnight."

After she left he was left his thoughts. He shivered; the cool air blew down from the mountains and added a frosty bite to the air.

* * *

><p>Link was weary. He had been traveling almost nonstop for two days with brief periods of rest to let the horses rest. He had gotten little sleep, always to afraid he'd close his eyes and sleep much too long and the gypsies would slip away into the desert and he'd never catch them again. The desert was quiet that night. The wind was calm and the air was cool but not terribly so. He could easily follow the path the desert people left behind. Epona did her best in the sand, but he could tell she did not enjoy it. He pats her neck.<p>

"Don't worry girl, we'll never ride through here again," he says, mostly to break up the silence of the night. Epona's ears flicker back to catch his voice before pointing forward again. Calibri, being born in the desert, has a much easier time navigating the sands.

The mountains loom up ahead, and he still has an hour or two ride ahead of him, but despite that he feels at ease. He is following the same path as the desert folk, he's following _their_ path to be exact, and they have to be at the end of it. He hopes what the Gerudo guard says was true, and that he would find them at the base of Wolf Point. Riding into the mountains would be risky, but he could catch them there, as long as they didn't make it across them into the vast, unmarked desert. He didn't have the supplies or the knowledge to try and hunt them down beyond the mountain pass.

Despite his exhaustion, he keeps his eyes out for potential threats. Leevers tended to pop out of the ground every now and then, but all they needed was a good kick to stun them and send them burrowing back under ground. Epona had taken well to stomping on them when needed. He rubs Epona's neck encouragingly and keeps walking forward. Every step they take forward is one step closer to Sheik.

* * *

><p>"Kahael," a voice calls as a hand shakes his shoulder gently. "Kahael, wake up."<p>

He opens his eyes groggily, and peers up at the figure above him. It's Stark, the unofficial leader of the gypsies. Everybody looks to him for guidance and advice which makes Kahael wonder what the man wants with him. He was the one who relieved him of watch duty a few hours before. Kahael sits up blearily. He's exhausted, sleep did not come easily to him the night before and tonight when he closed his eyes to sleep he was dead to the world almost instantly.

"What is it?" he asks, waking up slightly.

"There is a rider, in the distance," the man says, those words wake Kahael up immediately.

"A rider, leading a grey horse," Stark says, "Coming this way."

Kahael's heart starts to race like a startled jackrabbit's as he scrambles upwards. He follows Stark to the outskirts of the camp where the man was sitting watch and he can see the rider approaching, a little ways off.

"It's him, isn't it?" the man asks as he looks at Kahael.

"It is," Kahael answers, and bites his lip in thought.

"What do you want us to do about him?" the man asks.

From what he has heard of the Link's feats during the war, nothing a band of traveling nomads could do would stop him, but the offer is valiant and Kahael is grateful for it.

"I think I owe it to him to at least speak to him," he says at last. "If he was willing to come all this way."

Stark nods. "Be careful," he says. "I will be by the fire. Shout if you need anything."

Kahael walks slowly out to meet the approaching rider. Despite his prior exhaustion he is wide awake now. He shivers in the cool air but continues to walk a little ways away from the camp. He wants to be able to talk in private to Link. He is already mortified that the gypsies know of Link's engagement...he wonders what they must think of him, the old him, fooling around with the Queen's fiancé. They probably think it's disgusting, think _he's _disgusting_, _and he wouldn't blame them. He forces the tears from his eyes and stops walking.

The rider is close now, very close. Once he's a few hundred feet away from Kahael he swings done from the horses back and runs to Kahael. The horses continue to follow the man at a much slower pace. By the time Link reaches him he's out of breath but he collides with Kahael forcefully, nearly knocking him off his feet. But the man's arms wrap around him, crushing him to his chest so he can't fall. Link buries his face in the juncture of Kahael's collarbone and neck and takes a deep, ragged sounding breath. It isn't until he feels a warm, wet sensation on his neck that he realises Link is crying. He wraps his arms around the man slowly and he can feel Link's whole body shuddering as he squeezes Kahael tight to him, like he did at Kakariko Village the day before.

"You left," he finally says, voice haggard and raw. "I lost you all over again."

Kahael feels like there is a lump in his throat, blocking his words from escaping. When Link pulls back Kahaek can see the pain etched on the man's handsome features. The grief in his eyes is so evident. It makes tears well up in his own eyes. How could this man be destined to wed another when he holds such grief in his eyes for him. It doesn't make sense. Finally, he forces words from this throat.

"You...you are to wed the queen," he says, his own voice emotional as he fights the urge to break down and weep. "We...I am just a plaything for you, I..." he trails off, unsure of what to say.

"What?" Link cries, aghast. "You mean _everything_ to me, Kahael, you were never a plaything, I love you, can't you see that?"

"You loved Sheik," Kahael answers, holding tears at bay.

"You _are_ Sheik - you share his smile, his laugh, his memories - you may not be the exact same but I still love you," Link says, taking Kahael's hands in his own and squeezing them.

Kahael won't meet Link's eyes. "What of your engagement?" he asks.

"It's off," Link snaps, the anger in his voice startling Kahael. "It was all a lie...everything."

He frowns and looks at Link, "A lie?" he asks. "What do you mean?"

"Zelda was confused and jealous of our relationship. After the Shadow Temple we parted so you could prepare the rituals for Zelda return and I to the Spirit Temple. When I met up with you at the Temple of Time there was something off about you, but I was too worried about fighting Ganandorf. Zelda ... I'm not exactly sure _what_ she did to you, but she revealed herself to me as _you_..."

"So you thought she was me?" Kahael asks, confused.

Link wraps his arms around Kahael and holds him close. "When I saw you in the market that day..." a tear streaks down his pale face and Kahael raises his hand and wipes it away and Link gives him a watery smile, "I could barley breath."

Kahael looks at Link with a furrow on his brow. "I still don't quite understand," he admits. Link steps back and squeezes his hand.

"I love you," Link says softly. "The wedding is off – just please, come home with me?"

"Home?" Kahael questions.

"Anywhere, we can make a new home – as long as I'm with you," Link says, stepping forward and kissing him.

Calbri pushes between then and buts her head impatiently against Kahae'ls chest, and he laughs quietly and pats her neck. He takes a hold of her bridle as Link does the same with Epona. Link grabs Kahael's free hand and squeezes, holding it while they lead the horses back to the camp. Stark gives Kahael a small grin and nods in Link's direction but says nothing as they walk past him into the camp. They tether the horses up to prevent them from wandering, the threat of wolfos is too great to risk and remove their saddles and bridles before Kahael leads Link to his bedroll.

They both crawled inside. Kahael shuddered a little from the chill, but with his back pressed against Link's chest with the man's arms wrapped around him it didn't take long for him to warm up. Link was asleep within minutes, his breath deep and even. He was also exhausted, and it wasn't long before he was fast asleep as well.

* * *

><p>It seemed like he had just fallen asleep when someone was shaking shoulder and calling his name. "Kahael, wake up."<p>

When the blinked his bleary eyes open Kaylu was crouching down beside his bedroll. Link was still fast asleep behind him, his one arm between the gap of Kahael's neck and the bedroll, the other thrown over Kahael's waist.

"W-what?" he asked, leaning up on one elbow.

"A bad sand storm is blowing in. We can't travel today - we set up tents for the animals, you should move your horses into one. We set up a small one they would fit it, we didn't think they'd handle the camels well."

He rubs at his eyes as he sits up. "Thank-you, and I will explain everything later."

She nods and rises to leave. Kahael glances down at Link and he smiles. "Link," he says softly, stroking the man's cheek gently.

Link blinked his eyes open, and a small smile settles on his lips as he stares up at Kahael. "Morning," he says huskily, and the tone sends chills up Kahael's spine.

They rise and lead the horses to the tent. Calibri protested entering, but Kahael coaxed her in. They water and feed the horses before freshening themselves up and get breakfast. The winds were starting to get more violent, and soon they wouldn't be able to be outside without risking sand damaging their eyes. They return the tent with the horses and settle down to wait the day out. Travel was impossible with the winds so high. Kahael knew the gypsies would be getting antsy to move. If the mountain pass was covered in snow before they made it back through it would be disastrous.

They spent the day curled up together in the tent with the horses while the wind howled outside and pelted the tent with sand. Despite that, Kahael didn't think the day was a waste at all.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Twelve ~*~*~<strong>

When Kahael woke he was warm and comfortable and didn't want to open his eyes. He was resting against Link's chest, the man's arms were wrapped around him, holding him close. Link was leaning against a barrel of grain, his fingers idly running through Kahael's hair. Kahael took a deep breath and tilted his head upwards, smiling softly.

"Hi," he whispered.

Link grinned, and tilted his head down to kiss him.

The winds had settled, and the air outside the tent was calm but dusk had already fallen making travel impossible. Instead, the gypsies planned to spend the night again and leave early in the morning. Kahael and Link rose to water and feed the horses before they exited the tent hand in hand. Kaylu glared at Link from where she was chopping roots for the evening meal, and it makes Kahael realize that the gypsies do not know the true story behind Link's engagement.

Kahael leads Link over to the desert girl and they sit beside her in front of the bench. She ignores Link completely and looks at Kahael.

"What is he doing here?" she asks, and Kahael feels Link squeeze his hand tightly.

"There was a misunderstanding," Kahael says, turning to look at Link.

"I'm sure there was," Kaylu says sarcastically, staring back down at the roots and chopping furiously.

"Would I follow him so far out into the desert if I didn't love him?" Link cuts in suddenly, staring coldly at Kaylu and wrapping his arm around Kahael's waist. "Would I abandon my fiancée without notice and abandon my duties if he did not mean the world to me?"

She stares at Link, watching the way he clings to Kahael tightly, almost desperately, as is the thought of losing him was too much to bear. She can see the emotions in his eyes, the devotion and the love as he gazes at Kahael, and it's apparent to her that he really does love the other boy. His words are not a lie.

The rest of the evening passes quietly. They all retire early so they can rise and get an early start on the journey home. The gypsies were heading through the mountain pass while Link and Kahael would be crossing back through the wasteland to the Gerudo lands and then back to Hyrule. Where they would go from there, Link was unsure.

Link and Kahael retire to their bedroll that was moved back by the fire. Like the night before, two guards keep watch. Kahael is thankful it is neither him nor Link because all he wants to do is lie close to the man and feel his warmth beside him. Link kisses him softly and strokes his cheek as the lie face to face in the close confines of the bedroll and Kahael can feel himself blush.

"You're beautiful," he murmurs, and Kahael presses their lips together once again. They eventually settle down to sleep, Kahael's back pressed against Link's chest. Link is asleep within minutes, his deep breathing soothing in Kahael's ears and it's not long before he is asleep too.

* * *

><p>The snort of a Bullbo wakes Sheik, and he forces his eyes open. "Kahael?" he hears murmured behind him, before Link scrambles up. A scream pierces the silence of the night and Sheik reaches for his sword but it's gone. Link is up, bow drawn and he fires at one of the various bulbins surrounding the camp. "Kahael, watch out!" Link calls as he fires another arrow and sends a bullbo stampeding off into the desert away from the camp. Sheik fumbled for one of the daggers at his hip but finds that too is missing. A quick glance down confirms that he's not in his usual leather and dragonscale battle suit.<p>

He's confused. Last he remembered...he was gagged and bound. Was it a dream? He shakes his head. No time to think now. He was in a strange camp, under attack and weaponless. Link turns to him. He's muddled, due to the confusion. "Kahael, watch out!" he cries out, and Sheik looks around for this "Kahael" he's see's no one but himself, until a bulbin appears in the edge of his vision. He turns to move, he can see Link notch an arrow and fire - but it's too late. The club the bulbin swings hits him in the side of the face and pain blossoms but is gone instantly.

He's unconscious before he even hits the ground.

* * *

><p>Stark's eyes are grim as he surveys the scene. He rubs a hand over his forehead wearily. Kaylu's eyes are grief ridden as she approaches.<p>

"Shantelle is dead," she says softly, and sniffles. "Lukas is injured, but stable."

Stark nods. "It's a good thing the young lad caught up with us after all," he says. "We would have lost many more without him."

Link pays no mind to their talk. He cradles Kahael gently in his arms as he sits by the fire. He was already seen to by a healer. She said his wounds were not fatal, and that he'd wake up with a headache. Despite the assurance, Link is still panicked with worry. He had lost the Sheikah once, and almost a second time. He knew his heart couldn't handle losing him a third time. He keeps Kahael sitting up against his chest so that he can feel his steady heart beat and even breaths against his skin. Anything to reassure himself that Kahael is okay.

As he sits he observes the damage to the camp. They took the young desert girl who was on watch by surprise and silenced her with an arrow before creeping up to the camp. It was Kahael's movement that woke Link from his sleep. One camel was injured badly and had to be out down to prevent it from suffering. Link hated to see any animal suffer, but he was glad he wasn't the one who had to take its life. The young man who owned the camel did it, and from the tears on his face and the grief in his eyes Link could tell he was distressed greatly by the loss. Link could never imagine something like that happening to Epona.

Link glanced down at Kahael and stroked his cheek gently. The healer had cleaned the wound on his cheek and stopped the bleeding, but the bruising was already spreading across Kahael's high cheek bone and turning it a dark, inky colour. Link winced a little when looking at it. It looked like it hurt. He wished he had been able to protect him better. He brushed his fingers over Kahael's forehead and unmarred cheek. He was running his fingers through his hair when Kahael scrunched his face up slightly and let out a pained noise.

"Kahael?" Link asked, cupping his good cheek gently.

"Ugh," he grunted, scrunching his face up a little more before opening his eyes, squinting up at Link in the early morning light.

"Hey," Link said softly, smiling. "Kahael, how do you feel?"

"Kahael?" he questioned, frowning. "Who are you talking about?"

Link's heart started beating wildly. "Sheik?" he questioned slowly.

"Hero?" _Sheik_ replied, and Link burst into a smile, pulling Sheik up swiftly for a kiss.

"Oh, ow, ow," Sheik hissed, which made Link want to slap himself for his stupidity. Sheik was _hurt_.

"Sorry, sorry," he murmured, drawing Sheik to his chest. Sheik's face was bloodless and pale, with a pinched, drawn look.

"Hero," he murmured out, and Link fought back the tears when he heard Sheik's pet name for him. "I feel like I was bludgeoned in the head," he grumbled.

Link pulled Sheik back to look into his eyes, "You were, with a bulbin's club," he says as he flutters his fingers just under the side of Sheik's face that was injured.

Sheik closes his eyes and sighs, before snapping them open again. He winces, but looks around the camp anyways, tensing in Link's hold when he sees a girl approaching.

"Where are we?" he hisses, racking his brain for information. He can't remember a thing about being in the desert.

"I will explain in a minute," Link says, just as the girl grins at him.

"Kahael!" she says, as she sits down beside him. "How're you feeling?"

Sheik stares at her, guarded. He turns to Link, "Why is everybody calling me _Kahael_?" he asks.

The girl's face falls, but she smiles none-the-less. "You remember," she says.

Sheik frowns. "Remember what?" he asks, and turns to Link. The ache in his head is ferocious and the confusion he was suffering wasn't helping the matter at all.

Link pulls him so Sheik is leaning against his side, and Sheik wanted to protest but he kept his mouth shut, instead he kept his gaze focused on Link intently. Link stroked Sheik's cheek gently before speaking.

"What is the last thing you remember?" he asks softly, gazing into Sheik's ruby eyes.

Sheik opens his mouth to speak, but closes it quickly. He has to think for a second before he can answer. "We camped out in the field, after the Shadow Temple. We sheltered from the storm in the little cave a way off the mountain pass into the desert…we split up, so you could go to the Spirit Temple and I to the Temple of Time to wait for Zelda-"

Sheik stops speaking mid-sentence as a horrible memory assaults him, flooding his mind with the last moments he could remember.

_Almost instantly he starts to feel foggy. His body breaks into a cold sweat and he shakes violently. He crumples forward but her hands catch him before he can hit the ground. Her magic seeps into him and his nerves light on fire as she sifts through his memories disdainfully._

_Another spasm of pain rips through Sheik's body and he cries out in pain, no longer able to control himself. He can hear Zelda humming to him, her lullaby, gentle and sweet in his ear._

"Sheik, take it easy," he can hear Link speaking, but his heart his hammering and his breath came out as pants as Link gathers him in his arms and pulls Sheik against his chest. Sheik shudders again as another wave of pain lances through his head.

_He tries to speak but can't manage words. He watches as Zelda walks towards him helplessly. She kneels in front of him and chants an incantation, and he shudders as her magic floods through him again. He cringes and closes his eyes against the invasiveness of the magic and when he opens them he stares back at the mirrored reflection of himself._

Link is rocking him gently as he takes deep, rasping breaths. Gently he cups Sheik's face and tilts his face upwards to they are meeting each other eyes, so Sheik is looking into Link's watery blue eyes, blue eyes, Zelda's eyes…

_She takes his face in her hands and he wants to struggle but can't, not against her superior magic. Pain floods through him, more intense than any injury he has every received. He cannot stop himself when he cries out. He drops to the ground and writhes and Zelda moves with him, not letting him go._

_He fights against the fire in his veins as long as he can manage but it drags him under into the darkness. He's rendered unconscious by Zelda's magic and she hovers over his body for a few minutes, gazing sadly at him._

When the memories subside he's left a shaking, shuddering mess. He cringes close to Link and clings the man, holding onto him tightly as his heart gradually starts to slow from its frantic pace. His breaths come easier, but the fear is still present. He feels lost, so he clings to Link and Link holds him tight, whispering reassurances into his ear. After a while he pulls back and looks a Link.

"Zelda," he says quietly, as a tear streaks down her face. "She severed our bond, it hurt so bad…and then she was _me_," he says quietly, and Link presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Why?"

"You're safe, Sheik," Link says reassuringly. "She'll never hurt you again. I won't let her."

"Hero," Sheik murmurs, and Link squeezes him tightly. "Everything is so foggy. I feel so lost and confused…"

It's only then that he notices that the girl is gone and it's only him and Link sitting in the sand by a nearly burnt out fire. Link takes a moment before he speaks; explaining to Sheik what had transpired over the last few months of their lives. Sheik feels himself well up with so much emotion for the blond man as he speaks, an intense feeling that he has trouble holding in. Instead, he clings to the man and Link's holds him just as tight.

"She didn't mean to hurt you," Link says softly. "She's sorry, I'm not making excuses for her, I promise you, and she was lost and scared."

Sheik feels his heart swell with emotion. "But you knew, you found me," he says.

Link grins and cups Sheik's cheek gently. "Of course I did," he said softly, leaning forward to kiss Sheik gently. "I would follow you to the end of the world," he says solemnly, and Sheik smiles, before glancing around the camp once more.

"So these are the people I was traveling with?" Sheik asks, and Link nods in confirmation. "I don't remember them at all."

"They'll understand," he says. "Kaylu may be a bit sad, you were friends."

"She was the girl from before, who said I remembered?" Sheik asks and Link nods again.

They sit in silence for awhile, both lost to their thoughts. Sheik is content to sit warm embrace of Link's arms. He doesn't care about his inappropriate garb, or the fact that his face is uncovered, Sheikah code be damned, he thinks to himself. Link speaks of packing up and going home. The Gypsies will be going through the mountain pass, and they'd have to go back through the wastelands of the desert and back through the Gerudo Fortress. He doesn't like the idea of going back to Castletown. The idea sends chills down his spine but knows Link would never put him in harm's way on purpose so he is willing to follow him back.

But despite Link's protection, Sheik still feels terribly uneasy about going home.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

**Last Chapter guys! Only an epilogue left! Thanks for sticking with Revelations of Lies!**

* * *

><p><strong>~*~*~ Chapter Thirteen ~*~*~<strong>

Sheik pulls the saddle down from Calibri's back and the little grey mare groans and shakes before trotting off to a dirty patch of dusty ground. She sinks to her knees and proceeds to roll in the dust, kicking up a cloud dirt and grinding the grim into her grey coat. Sheik watches half annoyed and half amused. It's nice to see the mare enjoying herself but he knows he will be the one brushing the dirt from her hair later.

"Don't you be getting any ideas," Link says quietly to Epona as he slips her bridle off and allows her to roam freely. Despite Link's warning Epona ambles over to the same dirt patch that Calibri gave herself a dust bath in and she too proceeds to roll.

Link rolls his eyes as he watches. "Horses," he says with an exaggerated sigh at the end. They stand side by side and watch the horses frolic through the field like they were youngsters again, bucking and kicking and rearing all for the joy of it. They're happy to finally be out of the desert too. After a while they settle down and begin to graze and Sheik and Link gather some fallen wood to start a fire to cook a small meal on for the evening.

Sheik gazed around the surrounding area periodically, cautiously. He always kept an eye out for danger, but for some reason he felt inexplicably jumpy. He was normally very cautious, but never to this extreme. Shifting, he looked back down and tried to focus on chopping the roots they had gathered for dinner up. He jumped when Link dropped another pile of firewood next to their small cook fire. Link glanced at him concernedly

"You okay?" he asked as he knelt beside Sheik, resting his hands on the Sheikah's shoulders and squeezing gently. "You seem super jumpy."

"I just feel a bit off, I suppose," Sheik said.

Link kissed his cheek. "It's not like you to admit when something's wrong," Link said, jokingly. "Are you sick?"

"Worried," Sheik admitted, setting the knife down on the ground and sighing. "About what will happen when we return."

"Nothing," Link said fiercely. "She will _never_ take you away from me again, you understand me?" He sat beside Sheik and tugged him close, hugging him tightly.

Sheik nodded, meeting Link's intense azure eyes. He tried to mask his expression. Sheikah weren't supposed to be emotional…but Sheik didn't care about the traditions anymore. Nothing seemed to matter to him anymore besides for Link. For once Sheik was valuing his own happiness over his duty without feeling guilty about it.

"I know it's hard to believe, but Zelda truly was sorry, so very sorry," Link said softly. "I would never endanger you. Because…because I love you too much."

Sheik couldn't hold back the small smile that played on his lips as he looked up at Link. "I love you too, Hero," he said softly, and Link smiled back.

"I use to hate being called 'Hero'," Link said, wrapping an arm around Sheik's waist. "I never realized I would miss it so much."

Instead of replying Sheik leaned in for a kiss, which Link was happy to oblige, sealing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around Sheik and holding the Sheikah close.

* * *

><p>Sheik took a deep breath, his face pale. Link squeezed his hand reassuringly as they walked towards the castle. They crossed the bridge and entered through the large doors to the courtyard. The Guards nodded respectfully at Link, and took their horses when Link requested. Sheik stayed close to Link, warily eying the surroundings. The whole place was completely different. Castletown was built up and expanded, much better defended and livelier than Sheik had ever seen it before. The castle too, was also unfamiliar. Sheik had spent a good portion of his youth in the castle, but this new castle was nothing like the one he remembered.<p>

Another set of guards stood stationed at the doors of the castle and their presence made Sheik break out into a cold sweat and grip Link's hand tightly. He darted a cautious glance over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. Link squeezed his hand back.

"You're fine," he said softly. "They won't touch you. Not again."

Sheik nodded, setting his mouth into a grim line. "I know," he replied, trying to sound as confident as Link was.

They walked into the grand main hall, which was large and ordinate, much more so than the old castle was. There were many doors and archways leading to various other parts of the castle and Link led him across the tiles towards the eastern side of the castle and towards a winding stair case leading to the upper levels of the castle. Sheik glanced around and studied the many fastidious tapestries and painting that lined the walls. The windows were stained glass with an array of beautiful colours that would surly look marvellous with the sun shining through them.

The castle had been expanded so greatly so it could house guests when Zelda did business with foreign nations. It looked spectacular but it was too over the top for Sheik's taste.

They walked up the stairs until they reached a hall, which they walked down until they reached another door with a set of guards standing watch outside. Sheik took a deep breath. They finally reached Zelda's sun room. The walk had seemed both impossibly long and not nearly long enough. The guard opened the door for them as they approached, and Sheik squeezed Link's hand so tight he heard the Hero hiss in pain, but he didn't tell Sheik to loosen his grip.

They stepped inside; rather, Link stepped inside and dragged Sheik along in with him. Inside Zelda was pacing frantically. She looked frazzled and pale, almost more so than Sheik was himself. Her head snapped up when she heard the door open and she stared at them both intently. She was expecting their arrival. Link had spoken to her, with Sheik's help, through a gossip stone to tell her they were on their way back.

She stared at him intently for a moment before she took a few hesitant steps toward Sheik.

"Sheik," she said softly. "By the gods, what did I do to you?" She cried softly. The side of Sheik's face was still mottled and bruised; a greeny yellow colour. The cut had healed but the bruise was just beginning to fade. It looked awful; much worse than it really was.

"Princess," Sheik said stiffly, his heart beating faster than the wings of a hummingbird in flight.

"I am so sorry," she finally broke out and wept. She crowded against him and he tensed but opened his arms for her none-the-less. She pressed her face into his neck and squeezed him tightly. "I am so sorry," she sniffled again. "You did so much for me and I acted like…a, a spoiled little brat, unfit to be Queen…"

Sheik said nothing, just stood as stiff as stone as he held her. Link's presence behind him helped keep him calm. He had to remind himself that this was Zelda, this was the girl he grew up with playing in the gardens. This was the girl who he swore to protect even if it cost him his own life. He nearly lost his life to her, but for an entirely different reason than protection.

"Forgive me," Zelda said, "Please, forgive me. I know what I did was horrible, truly unforgivable, but it would mean the world to me if I knew you forgave me."

Sheik heard the command in her voice, and he prepared for the bond they shared to take over and answer her request for him as it had done so many times in the past, but this time nothing happened. There was no magic forcing his tongue to speak. There was no magic to mould Sheik to Zelda's will. There was nothing, just Sheik's own decision. Then he remembered the pain of her severing the bond, the agony of it all. He was no longer a puppet. She stepped back and stares at him, pleading.

"I forgive you," he says.

The decision is his and his alone and he basks in how good it feels to finally have a choice again.

* * *

><p>The days pass slowly as Zelda and Link break off their engagement formally. Some of the townspeople are disappointed that the legendary Hero of Time will no longer be the king of Hyrule but Link reasons with them that he belongs on an adventure somewhere, not in a stuffy throne room. Zelda eases their worries by announcing a grand ball where she would be inviting neighbouring countries to attend. The people were thrilled at the idea of a ball and soon that was the talk of town, not Link and Zelda's broken engagement.<p>

The longer Sheik spent around the castle the more he felt at ease there. The guards still made him wary but he was growing used to them. It angered him that he jumped so easily now and, no matter how much Link tried to reason with him, he was angry at himself for being frightened of something so insignificant. He had faced much greater foes while traveling with Link and he never feared them the way he feared the guards. It took Link awhile to get Sheik to understand that when he fought those enemies he wasn't bound, gagged and blindfolded.

Link often talked about traveling. He wanted to see if he could find Navi. He missed the little fairy greatly, but he put off search for her when he spotted Sheik in the market square. He decided he would go searching for her after the ball. Sheik had instantly agreed to go with him.

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><p>Sheik stood at the window in the room he shares with Link in the castle. It overlooks the horse pastures where the horses stay during good weather instead on being cooped up in a box stall. Epona and Calibri are grazing idly in the fading light of the sun. He smiles faintly as he watches them. When Link enters the room Sheik turns to greet him.<p>

"Hero," he says softly and Link smiles.

"I used to hate that name," he says as he wraps his arms around Sheik. "Now I love to hear it from your lips."

Sheik grins. "I'm glad you've learned to love it because I am not going to stop using it, Hero," Sheik says and he laughs when Link tickles his ribs gently.

"I am happy to see you smiling more," Link says, cupping Sheik's cheek gently.

"I am happy," Sheik answers. "I've realized that my ancestors would want me to choose happiness over Sheikah law. And if they have any issues with it," he shrugs. "I love you too much to care."

Link grins and kissed Sheik's forehead softly. "Glad to hear it," Link says.

Sheik basks in the happiness he finds within Link's arms as he watches the sun slowly sink down in the sky. He knows he has found himself and where he belongs. He doesn't belong in Castletown, the desert or Kakariko Village. He belongs with Link It doesn't matter where the man is, or where he plans to go. Sheik knows that as long as he is in the Hero of Time's arms he is home. He knows he belongs. He knows he is loved.

And that's all he's ever wanted.

The End.

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><p>Just an Epilogue left - will be posted on Saturday!<p> 


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.

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><p><strong>Epilogue <strong>

A few months had passed since Link and Sheik had returned from the desert. Sheik had forgiven Zelda, even though it had been hard. She told him she didn't deserve his forgiveness but Sheik gave it anyways. She had been lost and scared too. But as the months went by Zelda had really changed and matured. She had been wed to a Prince from a neighbouring land and now they ruled together. Roark, the new King of Hyrule, was young but level headed. He was much better suited to the job than Link ever was. And he dotted on Zelda, and his adoration for her was obvious and Zelda was smitten with him back.

The match was perfect. Zelda was thrilled with it and the marriage strengthened the bond between the two countries. If Hyrule was ever attacked they'd have the added force ofMestval to help defend the country. Overall, Zelda's grand ball had been a great success. She had made many new allies an trading prospects. The people of both Hyrule and Mestval adored her.

Despite their mutual love for Hyrule, Link wanted to travel and Sheik wanted to accompany him. They were preparing to travel Termina, and land to the west of Hyrule that wasn't well known. Link thought it would be a grand adventure and he had been quite enthusiastic when he had suggested it. Sheik had rolled his eyes at the other man's antics but had affectingly agreed to go with him, no matter where he decided to go. He knew deep down Link missed Navi and he wanted to search for her but had put off looking for the fairy in search of him in the beginning. Zelda was less happy about their decision to go, but she understood. She made them promise that they'd return home frequently.

Sheik was just adjusting Calibri's saddle and saddle bags that contained their supplies as Link did the same with Epona. Both horses were in high spirits, they could tell they were going on an escapade and they looked forward to it. They led the horses out of the castle's stable and walked them down towards the Castle gardens where they knew they would find Zelda. She was sitting at the small table in the gardens speaking to one of her council members. When she saw them approaching she asked the man to excuse her as she rose to bid them farewell.

"Be safe," she said as she hugged Link. She turned to Sheik and hugged him too. "Good-bye," she murmured into his ear. "Thank-you."

When they parted Sheik gave her a small smile. He no longer wore the cowl around his face. He was no longer a Sheikah Guardian to the queen and so he chose to wear more modern and practical clothing. Link loved that Sheik bared his face now. Link loved how much more carefree Sheik had become since he awoke in the desert for the second time.

"Bye, Zelda," Sheik said, and the girl grinned at him and said a playful "finally!" as they mounted their horses. She had tried for years to get Sheik to call her Zelda and not Princess, or Princess Zelda, or Miss or Highness or all those other titles she hated.

With a grin on Link's face and a contended smile on Sheik's the two boys rode out to Hyrule field together.

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><p>The horses trot side by side amiably, snorting now and again as their rider's chatted as they rode through a heavily forested area. Both riders were on alert for danger, but so far the forest is as peaceful as it was beautiful. They were careful to keep to the marked path to ensure they didn't get lost. The sunlight shined down through the trees and created a mottled pattern on the path and formed pillars of sunshine.<p>

Link was telling Sheik a joke he had heard in the market one day and the blond man was animated and happy, and watching him made Sheik smile. When he finished the joke they both laughed and Sheik wondered how he used to be so stuffy. Meeting Link was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

They continue to ride and slowly the forest darkens as they sky overhead is covered by clouds. It makes the forest feel slightly ominous but Link is not concerned and Sheik is wary but not truly vexed. As they round a bend on the forest path both horse spook slightly, snorting. They cluck them to encourage them and proceed to ride into the forest towards Termina when a pair of fairies fly up and startle both horses and Link is knocked from Epona's back when the mare jerks.

"Are you okay?" Sheik asks, swinging from Calibri's back and catching hold of Epona's dragging reins.

Link stands, annoyed. "Do you mind?" he asks the pesky fairies.

The fly backwards and Sheik tightens his grip on the reins of both horses when they hear a noise in the trees. A skullkid emerges, looking giddy and wearing a strange mask. Link and Sheik watch him warily, but he seems harmless. Skullkids tended to be mischievous. Quick as lightening the skullkid darts forward and grabs the Ocarina out of one on Link's saddle bags. He darts around laughing.

"This thing is kind of neat!" he exclaims to the fairies.

"Hey," Link snaps, trying to grab the skullkid. "Give it back!"

"Nuh uh," The skullkid mocks. He jumps at Epona and scrambled onto her back before he kicks her sides hard. She bolts, wrenching the reins out of Sheik's hand in the process. Calibri see's her friend galloping away and she rears up and takes off and Sheik and Link are left horseless.

"Hey!" Sheik calls after them. "Cali!"

But the horses don't stop. They are horseless and supply-less. Sheik turns and looks at Link.

"You wanted an adventure," he says and just Link grins at him.

The End.

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><p>Thank-you to everyone who reviewed and added this story to your favourites list! I hope you all enjoyed it :)<p> 


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